The Lords of Ipswich
by Kos-Mos607
Summary: Sequel to The Crimson Ritual. A month ago Pogue managed to save the man he loved from death but as he watches the blue tattoo cover more of his body, he begins to realize there was a fatal price for his actions. SLASH
1. Chapter 1

You've asked and waited...and now here it is.

**Chapter 1:** At the Beginning

_I speak the truth,  
I dare not tell a lie,  
One child is in fits,  
The other child dies,  
Now the yellow bird sits upon her finger,  
The yellow bird a specter lost to linger,_

_God Hates - The Lords of Salem,  
No can ever save them,  
God Hates - The Lords of Salem,  
No one can destroy them,_

-

The fire in front of him crackled loudly, its orange flames bathing the surrounding room in a pale, amber, glow and reflecting briefly in the dark eyes of the man who sat an arm's length away.

His eyes were emotionless and unmoving as he watched the flames dance and crackle, his fingers wrapped loosely around a wooden glass. He raised the glass to his lips and downed the harsh, bitter alcohol it contained. It stung the inside of his throat as it did so; it was rare when he drank, so he never developed a fondness of the taste. He never considered his life difficult enough to do so. To the villagers he was a simple farmer who kept to himself and lived off his land and to the ones who knew him best, the ones who cast him out, knew him as nothing more then a monster.

(Monster…)

He rolled the word around inside of his head a few times, as he took another drink. The word amused him greatly. It seemed…fitting. Of course, the Covenant would view him as a monster; he was the only one of them who embraced what he was. He didn't hide himself from the village as they did; he enjoyed being among the villagers and watching them crawl through the meager existence they dared to call 'life'. But most of all, he was the only member of the Covenant who dared who use his gift, his power, openly.

The question was would he dare use it tonight?

He set the glass down on the table once more and raised his head, gazing into the open doorway across from him. Even though the room was covered in darkness, as was the rest of the cabin where the light from the fire couldn't reach, his eyes could make out the still body lying in his bed clear as day. The boy had bid him goodnight not too long ago under the impression that he would soon join him, but little did he know the former Covenant member had other intentions.

As he stared at the figure in the darkness, he made his decision.

John Putnam sighed softly and with a push of his foot, he slid the chair away from the table. He moved silently through the room, keeping his footsteps light as he entered the dark bedroom. The boy was fast asleep, the deep blue eyes Putnam never grew tired of staring into lightly closed, and his breathing was soft. The wool blankets were nestled around his bare waist, and Putnam pulled them up to the boy's shoulder as he leaned over the bed.

"That man will pay for what he's done." John whispered into the boy's ear while placing a light kiss on the boy's shoulder. "I swear it."

Putnam then rose to his feet and left the room just as silently as he had entered, aware of the unforgivable sin he would commit before the night was through. If he were deemed a monster by his brothers, then he would become one. There was, after all, a fine line between murder and retribution and he would gladly walk its edges into the depths of hell for the boy resting in his bed.

With one more glance into the bedroom over his shoulder, John Putnam pulled his cloak from its post and pulled open the cabin's front door, throwing the dark cloth around his shoulders as he departed into the cold night.

-

_Do you think they suffered,_

_Up on Gallows Hill?_

_Burn me and hang me,_

_And I always will,_

_Tumble like a swine,_

_A victim of the fury,_

_Glory to the saint,_

_Before you start to bury,_

_God Hates - The Lords of Salem,_

_No can ever save them,_

_God Hates - The Lords of Salem,_

_No one can destroy them_

_-Rob Zombie, "The Lords Of Salem"_


	2. Chapter 2

Now let me first start off by saying I'm going to be winging most of the bloodline history for the covenant since the writers half-assed everything in the movie. You have my promise it won't be upsetting, "Sue-ish" or "OMG U CN'T B SERIOUS!" I know there's a lovely little site that contains a lot of info on the movie but alas, it's been down for a while leaving me no choice but to rely on my own creative mind for names, events and what not, incase you haven't already noticed lol

**Chapter 2**

"_It's always hard losing someone you care about isn't it? Everyone loses someone they care about over the course of their meaningless existence, but very few people can fully understand the cold, numbing pain of having someone you love taken away from you…__1__The feeling is almost unimaginable until it happens. At first, a cold numbness works it way into your body, making every other emotion aside from pain feel insignificant."_

Pogue groaned quietly in his sleep and rolled onto his side, his eyes moving rapidly under their closed lids but never opening. A few fingers on his left hand stared twitching lightly and eventually his hand closed into a tight fist.

He was running. He didn't know from what, but he was frightened never the less. Something was chasing him; its footsteps were ringing loudly in his ears.

"_How much does he mean to you?"_

Darkness surrounded the entire area around him but he kept running. He was amazed he wasn't running into anything, but then again there was nothing to run into. Everything was a black nothingness; he couldn't see anything or even feel anything with his mind.

"_Would you die for him?"_

Pogue felt his legs lock up, forcing him to a complete halt. He couldn't move; his body was frozen to the spot.

"_I'll see you in a year boy."_

Suddenly the darkness crushed against him and Pogue felt himself jerk awake with a loud yelp. The side of his head throbbed painfully but paled in comparison to the stinging coming from his right arm. Pogue rolled onto his back and held his arm above his eyes, staring darkly at the runes crawling snakelike up his arm. A month ago, they'd just barely extended past his wrist and now their arms were well past his forearm, every night they seemed to grow another few centimeters.

The pain from the runes dulled a moment later as they faded into the pale skin of the empath's arm, and Pogue let the limb fall to the bed's surface angrily. He was starting to dread sleeping. Once again, he was plagued with nightmares and the runes seemed to grow whenever he awoke from them.

Pogue sat up and turned the lamp on the nightstand on with a quick blink as he reached for the bottle of aspirin that had been sitting on the small table's surface for the past few weeks. He swallowed two dry and reached for the other nightly sedative sitting next to the small bottle. A bottle of the strongest Vodka he could find during his last visit to the store a block away from his apartment. Alcohol was the only thing that held his head together after these dreams and he quickly learned to always keep a bottle near his bed nightly, even though Gorman would more then likely kill him if he knew.

After downing a few gulps and wincing at the harsh taste, Pogue placed the bottle back on the nightstand and lowered his head into his hands. This past month had not been pleasant. Aside from the terrors that awaited him during the night, his days were spent at the colony house in Gorman's library in an attempt to find answers about his nightmares and that damned tattoo. So far, he hadn't found much. Most of Gorman's books mentioned the Room of Shadows, but none of them contained any answers he could use.

(After all, no one leaves that room alive… no exception)

"_I'll see you in a year boy."_

Imagining Putnum's voice caused a shiver to roll down his spine. The man had appeared in many of his nightmares, and more than likely would star in more. Pogue felt himself shiver once again and rolled back onto his bed, immediately pulling the covers up to his shoulders.

Sleep didn't come, however, and Pogue swore he felt a pair of pale blue eyes stare at him from dark depths of the shadows as he huddled deeper under the thick blankets.

--

"The American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence, was a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies on the North American continent. Now, can anyone tell me when the war officially started?"

The students settled in an anxious silence as their instructor's gaze moved across each of their faces until he chose his target.

"Mr. Garwin, care to answer my question?"

Reid groaned, not caring the slightest that the instructor clearly heard it. "1760?"

"I'm afraid not." Came the instructor's exasperated sigh. "Anyone care to correct Mr. Garwin?"

The silence once again covered the classroom until a hand slowly raised in the air.

"Ah Mr. Danvers, I expect you have the answer?"

"1775."

The instructor's face brightened. "Correct. Care to tell me when it ended?"

Caleb straightened in his seat. "1783."

"Once again, correct. You should study more, Mr. Garwin."

With one final look in Reid's direction, the instructor turned to the blackboard and began scratching notes on its surface with chalk. Reid waited until the man's back was turned before letting out the breath he was holding in.

"What a dick."

In the seat next to him, Caleb snorted.

"What? He is." Reid scoffed.

"You haven't read any part of the last 3 chapters, have you?"

Reid turned his head and cocked an eyebrow. "You have?"

"Yes, Reid, it's called studying." The elder covenant member replied in an even voice.

"I don't believe this, you're back in school for two weeks and you're already raising the curb."

Caleb watched him out of the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything, his ears continuing to listen to their instructor's words. Reid rested his head on his arms in silence, still grumbling under his breath at their teacher. The older boy couldn't help but smile from the sight; it was comforting to know that things hadn't changed much.

(Most things anyway.)

His smile disappeared when he glanced at the empty chair to his right. Pogue had claimed the spot at the beginning of the school year, but it had been empty for the past two weeks. Judging from what Reid had told him, it had been vacant for much longer then that; it had been over a month and a half since Pogue had last attended any classes and Caleb couldn't shake the feeling that he was the reason for his friend's absence.

With a sigh, Caleb turned his head back towards the teacher and tried to pay attention to what the man was rambling about. Reid tried to do the same, but it wasn't long before the blond was absentmindedly doodling on a piece of paper while the instructor prattled on. By the time the bell rang, most of the paper was filled with skull bones and small wiggly lines that Reid only knew the true meaning of and the blond happily shoved the paper away into his History book when the class was dismissed.

Caleb neatly shoved his own book into his new backpack and joined the train of students exiting through the door into the hall.

Reid followed behind him. "Thank god that was the last class of the day. You going home?"

"No." Caleb grunted as he fiddled with the straps on his bag, trying to get them to tighten around his shoulders. "Swim practice. That is if the coach will let me back on the team."

"Of course he'll let you back on the team, you're Spencer's golden boy remember?"

"I was, Reid, past tense." Caleb replied sharply, growing irritated when the finished adjusting the straps of his bag; he lost a lot of muscle over the past four months and he wasn't at all happy about it, nothing fit correctly anymore.

"Past tense or not, the coach will be tripping over his own damn feet to get you back."

"I hope so." Caleb sighed deeply.

He really did, he needed more solid comforts to help ground his state of mind. Too many things had changed since he was gone, and he was starting to become dangerously overwhelmed trying to adjust. There was a clear image in his mind of what Spencer and all the people related to it had been before the night of the Fall Fest and it was upsetting to see it had changed so much. He didn't want change; all he wanted was for everything to be the same before his life was taken away from him by Chase.

Caleb mournfully shook his head, sending all of those thoughts back into the depths of his mind so he could dwell on them in private and turned to face Reid. He wasn't surprised to see the blond eyeing him with a confused look. He tried not to feel annoyed at that but it was hard, Reid was constantly fussing over him. He couldn't walk five feet without either Reid or Tyler trailing behind him protectively and looking over his shoulder. Even though he knew there was justifiable reason for them doing so it was starting to anger him. He was tired of the long glances at his face, obviously checking to make sure his eyes were their normal color and not black, and the clear hesitance both teens seemed to have whenever they were near him.

He knew the reasons behind their actions, though, and couldn't fully bring himself to blame them. His memory of the past four months was in hazy pieces - he could only recall a small handful of events, and had to rely on stories from other sources, mainly Reid and Tyler for full details - but from what he could gather, the two had a right to fear him; Chase had turned him into a monster.

"Caleb?"

Caleb felt the inside of his chest tighten when his ears heard the sweet voice. His head rose on its own accord, his eyes instantly finding the voice's owner.

"Sarah?"

Sarah stood a short distance away, her eyes bright and full of emotion as she stared at him. Her arms were thrown around his neck a moment later and with a relieved sigh, Caleb returned her embrace. Sarah…she was still here. One of the most important things he had lost was still in his life.

A few feet away, Reid growled darkly in his throat. His fingers coiled into a tight fist and he had to physically count his teeth in order to prevent himself from speaking out.

(She spends one day crying over him, throws herself at a junior less than a fucking week later and now cries over his return?)

Feeling his anger – and stomach - taking a turn for the worse from the sight, Reid turned and stalked past the newly reunited couple, silently cursing Sarah every few steps.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Things are normal." Reid groaned mentally as he lied through his teeth, hoping to all the powers above he sounded convincing. "Well, as normal as things could get considering…well, you know."

The line went silent for a moment, causing Reid's groans to become audible. God, he hated lying. Well, he didn't hate lying in general; he just hated the fact that he was always bad at it when it came to a small handful of people.

"_So he's adjusting to being back in school and everything?"_

Reid took a few deep, clamming breaths before speaking into his cell phone once again. "Yeah, he's already caught up in all his classes and rejoined the team. It's like he never left."

His phone once again went silent, much to the blond's growing agitation. Hearing yet another groan ease from the others mouth, Tyler raised his head from the stack of text books stacked on his bed and eyed Reid curiously. However, the blond didn't see the look and drew the phone closer to his ear.

"He's been asking about you, you know? Why you never come to school."

Silence followed his words and Reid fidgeted nervously until it ended.

"_Yeah, I figured as much."_ Pogue's voice replied, tired and strained.

His voice had sounded that way for a while and Reid had long since given up asking why. It was a godsend for Pogue to even answer the phone in the first place instead of leaving Reid to ramble like an idiot on the answering machine.

"Have you even talked to him since he's been back?"

Reid knew the answer even before he finished the question.

"_No."_

The blond let his head fall forewords. "Are you going to any time soon?"

"_Tell Tyler I said 'hi' alright?"_

"Pogue." Reid growled when the line clicked dead, letting the dial tone echo in his ear for a few moments before turning his phone off. "Fuck!"

Across the room, Tyler raised his head once again. "He still being an ass?"

"Fuck, yes." Reid sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "Why do I even bother?"

Tyler hummed in agreement but didn't voice his thoughts. Pogue was a sensitive subject between the two of them. The empath was clearly hiding, that much was obvious, but from what they didn't know. Pogue had been distant from all of them, Caleb included, for most of the past month. He avoided all physical contact with them and he even timed his visits with Gorman to the hours where none of them could venture out to the colony house. The only way they could ever reach him was through the phones; thankfully, Pogue hadn't gone fair enough in his seclusion to disable the lines. Even then, it was rare when either of the two teens got anything but the annoying machine.

The last few times, however, Pogue had picked up and even talked to Reid for a bit. It was a small victory for the blond covenant member, one that he apparently cherished deeply because he insisted on calling Pogue nightly since then.

Tyler took in Reid's stressed form for a moment and shoved his homework— Reid's homework actually, he started doing the blond's assignments a few weeks ago since Reid's time was rather limited between Caleb and Pogue these days – between the open pages of the nearest textbook. He scooted to the edge of his bed until he was a few hairs short of Reid's back.

"How'd he sound?"

"Tired and cold, like he always does." Reid replied.

Tyler parted his legs and draped them over the side of the bed as he curled against Reid's back. The other boy sighed softly and leaned back into his embrace, moaning as Tyler's fingers started grasping and rubbing at his shoulders gently.

"Mmm, Ty."

His groan sent a shutter through Tyler's entire body. The blond smiled as he felt the shutter and turned to face the younger boy.

"Love you." Reid whispered huskily and leaned into the younger teen's mouth.

Their lips met softly and a content sigh fluttered inside both of their chests. Reid pushed them both down on the bed, ignoring the loud thudding of Tyler's books falling to the floor from their movements. The younger boy didn't care; his thoughts were in a delicious fog that only intensified when Reid's hand slipped under the hem of his sweatpants and started lightly rubbing against the sensitive flesh underneath.

--

Caleb sighed quietly and pushed the food around his plate with his fork.

He wasn't hungry but that had hardly stopped his mother from preparing the almost-as-big-holiday dinner that currently occupied the large dinning room table they both sat at. The table hadn't even been used in over three years. The last time it even held a plate of food on its surface or had someone sit in its chairs had been his fifteenth birthday. Not long after that, W—his father had started over using. His mother tried setting the table for a few nights after William was moved to the colony house but the attempt always ended in tears because she'd end up setting a place for his father that would remain empty.

"Something wrong, Caleb?"

Caleb instantly blinked and raised his head. "No, mom, just not hungry."

His face held a blank, calming look; one he had perfected many weeks ago. So far, it had managed to fool everyone but Gorman into thinking he was holding up just fine, that he was adjusting back into his life perfectly without error. He hated using it on his mother but she was becoming a bother. She always hovered around him whenever he was home and insisted on going to ridiculous lengths to make sure he was comfortable, it started wearing on him after the first week.

"Are you sure, I could always make something else for you."

Caleb fought against his groan and bit his lip to keep it silent.

"No, I think I'm just gonna go up to my room." He replied cheerily and pushed his chair away from the large dinning table. "Homework."

Much to his relief, his mother nodded and didn't question him further. He past by her chair on the way to the living room, pausing briefly to hug her goodnight, and quietly headed to the stairs in the front foyer. Once in the safety of his bedroom, Caleb released the groan he was holding in.

Was it too much to ask for everyone to leave him alone and pretend that the past 6 months never happened? He wasn't a piece of glass, damn it. If everyone stopped fussing over him and demanded apologies, he could at least own up to what he had done and try to move on, hoping for forgiveness.

Actually, that part was a complete lie and he knew it. A part of him knew he wouldn't be able to function rationally if everyone did blame him for what Chase made him do. The guilt alone would've undone him, the thought of hurting his friends and Gorman nearly brought tears to his eyes and caused his hands to shake but if they outright blamed him for all of it... he couldn't even bring himself to end that thought. His hands were already shaking.

With a deep breath, Caleb willed his body to calm. His fingers were still shaking as they undid the buttons on his shirt and their shaking intensified as the cloth fell from his shoulders to the floor. His eyes were drawn downwards to the thin, but very noticeable in his eyes, scar that sat a few inches above his left hip. He lightly traced the small line with the tip of his shivering finger. That scar was one of the first things he discovered when he awoke in the colony house a month ago. The scabbing around its edges looked and felt years old but he knew that scar wasn't adorning his skin six months ago. No one seemed to know where the damn thing came from, Gorman was astonished to even see it and Reid and Tyler swore they had no idea about its origins. That only left one person with the possible answer; Pogue.

In the back of his mind, Caleb knew Pogue was somehow related to it. He just couldn't remember anything. Picking at his memories nowadays was nearly impossible. The only time he ever glanced periods of time under Chase's control was in his dreams, however frightening and horrifying they were. Pogue seemed to star in the majority of them. Nightly, Caleb witnessed his friend being harmed and abused by himself. It destroyed a small bit of him every time he was forced to relive it.

(That's why he's avoiding me.)

He knew he was right. He must've hurt the other teen more then he could've imagined in order for Pogue to go to such great lengths to avoid him. He relived a good amount of it in his nightmares but he had a sickening feeling those memories were just the small tip of the iceberg. Pogue endured a lot of physical harm, and no doubt mental harm from having it caused by your best friend, from Caleb's own hands. But no matter how much pain he suffered, he still got shakily to his feet afterwards, he still fought back.

(He still saved me…)

That thought made his eyes water and he quickly blinked them dry. Pogue had saved him. He saved him from the worst hell imaginable and no one knew how he did it. He had taken all the abuse and pain cause had caused and gave him his life back. No matter what, Caleb knew he'd forever be grateful for that. He'd never be able to repay his friend for the wonderful gift he'd selflessly given him at great, personal cost.

It was just as his mother said on numerous occasions - Pogue was an angel.

(Which makes me the devil.)

With a grim look darkening his face, Caleb trudged towards his bed, hoping his sleep tonight would be peaceful and dream free.

--

"_Come on, they're gaining on us!"_

_The inside of Tyler's chest felt like it was on fire, as did his legs. He'd been running for hours and would've fallen flat on his face long ago if it wasn't for the hundreds of voices pursuing him or the firm hand grasped around his wrist._

_His kept burning as the fought to keep up with the man in front of him. If he stopped, he knew nothing less then death awaited the both of them. He already risked his own life to save his companion. He wouldn't let those people capture his lover again and force him to endure those horrid punishments again. _

_And those people called his lover a monster…_

"_They're almost upon us."_

_The hand holding his wrist pulled him along at an even faster pace and Tyler felt his eyes water from the strain. He couldn't keep running, he wasn't as strong as the other man was. While his body was much younger then his lover's he didn't have anywhere near his stamina._

"_I can't run anymore, it hurts." His mouth panted out painfully._

_They were now running on a thin path carved between the rocks resting against a hillside. He was afraid to look down, already knowing how steep the fall was. His lungs were burning even more painfully. _

"_I know, I know, just be strong for a little while longer. We're almost there."_

"_I can't, it hurts, it-"_

"_Just a little farther, we'll make it-"_

"_Please don't leave me behind. Please-"_

_The rest of Tyler's words were silenced as he felt his foot slid against the surface of a smooth rock. For a brief second, the world seemed to come to a complete halt as Tyler's lower body was slowly pulled to the steep ledge. His lover heard the sound and spun on his heel, his blue eyes suddenly paling in fear._

"_No."_

_Tyler didn't have a chance to grasp what was happening as his vision suddenly went sideways and the image of his companion's face was pulled away from him. He fell, he could feel his body tumbling down the steep hill and away from the one man he loved. Rocks and sharp branches were cutting into his skin as he tumbled the only thing that registered was the look from the man standing on the hilltop calling down to him._

_Even from the increasing distance, Tyler could see his blue eyes had filled with tears._

With a small gasp, Tyler sat upright. The dorm room was incased with moonlight that bathed everything in a dark blue light. Reid was sleeping soundly next to him, his strong arm now resting across Tyler's hip. He didn't stir once from his partner's movements or heavy breathing.

Tyler's chest was heaving and covering in sweat. His throat was dry and tight but what immediately grabbed his attention was the bitter taste that had gathered on his tongue. It tasted like blood. Gingerly, the younger boy raised a finger and probed his lips gently, feeling a small jolt of pain course though his body when his finger brushed against a small tear. He'd bitten into his bottom lip and drawn blood, in his entire life he'd never had a nightmare that caused him to do that before, although a few had come close in recent years. Turning his eyes black, Tyler healed his lip before more blood could gather in his mouth.

(What the fuck was that?)

--

"_You son of a bitch." _

_Caleb could hardly contain his anger as his fingers tightened around his attacker's neck. The flesh under his hand was warm, it almost burned the skin of his palm but he didn't care. The inside of his body was in pain, it felt like it was twisting it's self inside out all because of the man pinned underneath him. _

"_I've had enough of you. You and Caleb have outlived your use."_

_Under him, Pogue's face twisted into a snarl despite the air being robbed from his lungs._

"_Fuck you."_

_Caleb felt himself smile from the words and leaned closer, his voice dark and malicious as he spoke._

"_How do you want the love of your life to die Pogue? Quick or __**slow,**__ like you're going to?"_

_He could feel the life draining out of Pogue's body and a smile came to his face from it. Pogue was going to pay for the pain he just caused, oh yes; he was going to pay dearly…_

"No!"

Caleb had already yelled himself hoarse by the time his eyes opened. The dark floor of his bedroom soon came into focus, causing Caleb to wonder why it seemed closer to his eyes then usual. His question was answered a moment later when he realized he was lying on floor; apparently, he'd fallen out of his bed once again. The throbbing in his shoulder confirmed his theory and with a groan, Caleb sat up and gently rubbed at the soreness.

(Another nightmare…)

Tears were now clouding his vision and one fell to his cheek before he could wipe it away. His body was shaking, as it always did whenever he had a nightmare, whenever he relived the horrid acts he'd done. His ears dimly acknowledged the sound of his bedroom door opening and soon his mother's footsteps neared him.

"Caleb, Caleb are you alright honey?" She knelt on the floor next to him and turned his head, gasping when she saw tears in her son's eyes. "Oh god, sweetie. Its okay, come here."

She pulled him close to her chest and Caleb didn't even bother resisting. His entire body shook with fear and revulsion at what he had done.

"Its okay, Caleb, it was just a dream. It's okay honey."

"No, it isn't." He weakly mumbled. "It wasn't just a dream."

(And that's what makes it worse. I didn't deserve to be saved.)

His mother tightened her grip around him with a sob of her own and Caleb's buried deep into her arms, something he hadn't done since he was five years old.

--

Happy birthday to my account, it's now two years old, yay!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for waiting patiently. I had a serious case of fanfic burn out a few months ago and decided to work on something else until my batteries recharged. (See profile for my new original fic). This bit is short but I'm sure you'll all agree with me when I say "It needed to happen!"

**Chapter 4**

"It's grown, again." Gorman sighed as his thin fingers traced the blue lines along his god child's arm.

"It grows every fucking night."

Gorman grimaced mentally. The blue marks barely reached Pogue's forearm the last time he witnessed them spread, less then a week ago, and now their tips were less then an inch shy of Pogue's shoulder.

"This can't be good."

Pogue couldn't help his snort. "Oh, you think?"

Gorman eyed his god child. "Perhaps your isolation is having a negative effect on you?"

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means boy, that you're becoming, rude, self centered and a pain in my rear." The elder replied as he traced the line of ink along the teen's arm once more.

Pogue's face seemed hurt, but the teen replied with his usual attitude. "You're the one who insisted I come here everyday."

"Yes, and I still do." Gorman replied with a sharp poke. "Now, be quiet."

He could feel Pogue roll his eyes mentally before he did what he was asked. Gorman traced the blue lines silently with his fingers, carefully mapping their design inside of his mind.

"I know I've seen these before."

"You have. Yesterday."

"Pogue…" The elder warned.

There was no vocal reply but in the back of his mind he felt Pogue grumble mentally. The elder shook his head lightly. The long month of isolation had changed Pogue dramatically. The empath had completely cut himself away from his brothers and the pain of it was hurting the teen more then he let on, but Gorman felt it. He felt the pain every time Pogue entered his house and felt traces of their powers in the air.

He missed them to the point of extreme pain and wanted nothing more then to be with them. However, much to Gorman's annoyance, Pogue had a stubborn streak a mile long. The empath was apparently convinced solitude was the best choice of action, and no matter how much the elder pushed and pressured him, he still refused to see his brothers.

With a sigh, Gorman removed his hand and moved to the book shelf near his desk. He still kept part of his mind attached to the empath, a habit of his that had formed recently. As usual, Pogue was annoyed by the presence but he made no move to repel it. The lack of action made the elder sigh; Pogue welcoming his presence willingly was a sign of his loneliness.

The elder's fingers located the book he sought for and pulled it free of the shelf.

"I know I've seen this before." He murmured once again as he turned the pages in the book.

"You've been saying that for a month now."

The elder ignored the teen, his eyes busy reading the words in his book. As he turned another page his ears picked up a faint sound, a car sliding to a stop outside of the colony house. Two presences touched Gorman's mind and after a moment he was able to identify them. Judging from the gasp that Pogue made, the empath recognized them as well.

Evelyn and Caleb.

Gorman moved to the window. A silver Volvo sat silently just outside of the house's fence. It's two passengers where only a few feet from the house's front door. A strong feeling of unease gripped Gorman's body tightly. The feeling came from the teen sitting a few feet away, Pogue's shoulders were tense and his head lowered.

"Pogue?"

Pogue drew his knees close to his chest. "I'm not here."

"Come, now, it won't kill you to see your brothers."

"I'm not here!"

Gorman sighed. "Fine, stay in here then."

The empath nodded and Gorman grabbed his cane and left the room. He could hear Evelyn's soft knock on the front door as he entered the foyer.

"Come in."

The door opened. Evelyn entered first, her steps graceful and elegant as always. Her son followed, his steps flawed and tired. Gorman's heart tightened when he saw Caleb's face, the boy's eyes were dark and sleep deprived.

"Evening Evelyn." Gorman said, summoning a cheerful look. "Caleb."

"Can you give us a minute, sweetie?" Evelyn asked her son.

Caleb nodded and took a few steps forward.

"There are some new books in my study, Caleb, if you're bored." The elder said, feeling slightly devious.

Caleb nodded once again as he headed in the direction of Gorman's study. Once the teen was out sight, Evelyn sighed heavily, causing Gorman to turn and face her once more.

"He's having more nightmares."

Gorman's face hardened. "How bad?"

"Half of his room is destroyed. He hasn't even said one word this morning."

The elder's shoulders dropped. "I see."

The woman's eyes watered slightly. "I don't know what to do anymore, he isn't eating, or sleeping, or—"

"I know Evelyn. It's to be expected."

"Can't you do anything?"

"I'm sorry, I can't." Gorman sighed deeply. "I have my hands full with the other one."

Her eyebrows rose but before she could reply both adults where startled when they heard a loud gasp. Evelyn tensed, and upon realizing the sound came from her son, the woman sped past the elder into the hallway.

"Caleb, sweetie, what's wrong?"

Gorman followed, already having a decent suspicion of what caused the boy's sudden shock. When he turned into the hall, he saw Caleb lingering in the doorway of his study. A grin tugged at his lips and no doubt, Pogue could feel his gloating. The elder didn't care, though. His godchildren had suffered enough and it was time for them to relearn what being brothers meant. He'd gladly endure Pogue's rage and anger if it meant the empath would stop isolating himself, if only for a moment. Evelyn paused when she saw her son, but Gorman's arm on her shoulder stopped her from going further.

"They both need this." The elder said softly, pulling the woman back a few steps.

Evelyn didn't say anything, she just watched her son enter the study with a protective look on her face.

------------------------------------

_The door of his cabin closed silently behind him, hardly making a sound. His home was still just as dark as he'd left it several hours ago. He moved through the main room towards his bedroom, a smile coming to his face when he saw the boy was still fast asleep among the blankets. His smile remained in place as he tossed his cloak on the floor along with the rest of his bloodstained clothing. He kicked the pile of cloth under the frame of his bed where it would remain out of sight until he disposed of it in the first light of the morning._

_He embraced the youth, pulling the lithe body towards his own. The boy's soft wheat colored hair tickled against his chin as the youth curled closer to him. He sighed, breathing in the sweet scent happily as his eyes drifted closed._

"_Where did you go?"_

_Soft, nimble fingers touched his shoulder and he sighed as he felt them move down his arm. The boy was awake it seemed._

"_Out to the fields."_

"_Your hands—"_

_His eyes opened with a quick snap. The blue eyes he adored so much were wide with fear and confusion. He followed their gaze and cursed once he saw the dark stains present on his hands. He hadn't even considered cleaning them before he left the church. _

"_It's nothing." He softly assured the youth. _

"_But it's- it's blood, isn't it?"_

"_Yes." He replied, keeping his voice calm to make his lie believable. "A wolf tried to get my horse."_

"_I don't believe you."_

_Those words hurt him; they cut deeper into his heart than any knife. _

"_It is the truth."_

_The boy laid his head back down on his chest, not saying anything more. His body was warm, as it always was when they shared the bed. The warmth lulled both of them into a deep sleep, but before he nodded off fully he felt the boy move away from him and curl into a tight ball under the covers, the space between them filled with suspicion._

"**Dave!?"**

John Putnum felt himself stirred from his deep sleep when he heard the voice. Cold, every single inch of his being was cold. The chill had plagued him for centuries but much to his amazement he never grew accustomed to it. He suspected the reason why was because he needed a physical form in order to do so, like in the days when he was human. He opened his eyes and titled his head back. Below him two figures stood amongst the stone and pillars.

"What the hell are we doing here? This place gives me the creeps, man."

He stared at the beings for a moment, making sure his eyes weren't fooling him. They weren't, he could feel two presences touch his mind and their warmth. It had been a while since the last time a human had _willingly_ entered his prison, a long time, and now there were two. He shook the last of the sleep from his system and carefully moved himself closer.

Two boys stood in the center of the room. Both had dark hair trimmed short and looked around sixteen summers or so. He could feel the fear pouring into the air from the boy closest to him, he didn't enjoy being in the room.

"Don't be such a wuss man. It's just a cellar."

"What fucking cellar has a two mile long staircase huh? This place is fucking weird."

"Wuss!"

Silently, Putnum lingered in the air as the boys moved about the room, prodding the stone table and touching the pillars. He moved closer until he was less then a foot away from the fearful boy's side. They wouldn't see him, he wasn't whole or even physical at the moment; he held no form. However, the weary boy obviously sensed the two of them weren't alone.

"Hello, is someone there?"

(Yes.)

Like a vapor of wind, Putnum thrust his powers forward and into the warm body. The boy wailed as his body was taken over.

"Holy shit! Eric!"

Once the boy was drained of life, Putnum moved to the next one. His powers grabbed the youth just as he darted towards the room's door. Putnum felt himself smile as he buried himself into the warmth of the body's being, hardly caring when the body was drained of life.

He was warm now, closer to becoming his normal self, nothing else mattered. One feeling still plagued him however, loneliness. He hated the feeling, he had been alone for so long now.

(Danny…)

His entire being hummed happily from the name. Before his prison, before the cold and the loneliness, there had been light inside his life; Danny. The boy was his world, his warmth in the cold, the reason he strayed from the darkness. Those blue sapphire eyes and honey colored hair would drive even the darkest soul to the light.

But the boy was gone and he was left in the cold alone. He closed his eyes and let his consciousness fade into the warmth and let himself fall back into his deep sleep where the happy visions of blue eyes and love awaited him.

(Soon…soon, Danny.)

--------------------------------

_~To kill a man you need neither a bullet nor a knife_

_No, you must take away the sky, the air, his freedom, his love_

_Once you take away his reason for living, you kill the soul_

_When you kill the soul, the body dies_

_If you kill the body, the soul lingers on_

_~R.J._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Tyler sighed and leaned his head back, letting the hot water run down his face and chest. Hot water was a miracle sometimes. It unwound his tightly coiled shoulders and sore back, apparently he had done a lot of tossing and turning the night before. Not that he blamed himself, that dream he'd had had been weird.

Not only was it weird, but felt strange to him. It almost felt… familiar to him. As if it had really happened to him. Tyler shook his head and snorted at himself. Right, he'd fallen off a cliff and died recently, it happened to him all the time.

Wow, he really needed to stop spending so much time with Reid; the blond's attitude was beginning to rub off on him.

Tyler chuckled to himself as he twisted the handle of the shower off and reached for his towel on the closet hanger. Wrapping the soft, white cloth around his waist, Tyler gathered his discarded clothes in one hand and left the bathroom. Normally he wouldn't wander the halls in just a towel, that was more of Reid's thing and he often flaunted that fact in front of Tyler when bored, but it was early in the morning and he took comfort in the fact that most of Spencer's students wouldn't be stirring for a few more hours. He padded quietly to his dorm and opened the door slowly; knowing Reid was probably still asleep.

His assumption was proven correct; Reid was sleeping soundly in Tyler's bed with the covers lying across his pale back. The youngest covenant member smiled slightly as he closed the door behind him. He was still thankful his nightmare hadn't awoken Reid during the night, but then again, Reid could sleep through anything.

Smiling at Reid's sleeping form once more; Tyler made his way over towards his dresser, but gasped sharply when his eyes saw the mirror mounted on the wall above it. In the mirror's reflection, Tyler saw a man standing behind him. He spun on his heel and turned his eyes black, ready to defend himself. There was nothing behind him, however, no man, only a bare wall.

Gulping, Tyler slowly turned towards the mirror again. The man was still there, less then a foot away from the teen's shoulder. Glancing over his shoulder once more and seeing nothing, Tyler returned his attention towards the mirror. A pair of cold, blue eyes stared at his face, making him shiver. Those eyes, he knew he'd seen them before but from where?

The answer came to him a moment later, his dream. The man in the mirror was the same man in his dream.

How was that even possible?

Not even wanting to know the answer, Tyler squeezed his eyes shut and opened them after a moment. The man was gone from the mirror. His relief was immediate.

He must've been seeing things. It was early in the morning after all and he was still recovering from his dream.

Feeling his lower lip quiver slightly, Tyler decided against getting dressed and instead moved to join Reid in bed. After shedding his towel, he climbed under the covers nude and wrapped himself tightly around the blond's back, seeking comfort.

Reid stirred from the contact and opened his eyes sleepily. "Ty?"

"Mmh." Tyler murmured against his back.

Reid rolled over and nestled close to the younger boy, wrapping his arms around Tyler's hips.

"Mmm, nice." Reid purred when his hands touched nothing but bare skin along Tyler's thigh. "But I think I'm overdressed though."

Tyler couldn't help his smile and under any other circumstance, he knew he'd be laughing. It was official, Reid Garwin was always horny.

He felt his body relax after a few, hot kisses from Reid as the blond moved over him. However, every time Reid pulled away and gazed at him, Tyler couldn't stop himself from flinching slightly, afraid those blue eyes would turn into paler shades that belonged to someone else besides his lover.

Shaking his head, Tyler moved his hand into Reid's soft blond hair and pulled the teen close to his neck, moaning when Reid's tongue licked at the flesh delicately.

He deliberately kept his gaze averted from the mirror for the entire morning.

-------------------------------------

"Pogue?"

The name felt heavy on his tongue as he uttered it. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the boy in question slowly raised his head from the bent knee it was resting on and turned towards him. Pogue's gasp was enough to freeze him inside of the doorway.

"Caleb?"

As Caleb took in the other boy's features he felt his chest tighten. The other teen didn't look happy to see him, much to Caleb's dismay, he didn't even look surprised. His face was blank, emotionless and even pained. The eyes were even a shock; they weren't their normal hazel color. Instead they were blue, a chilling pale blue color that caused the hairs on the back of Caleb's neck to stand on end.

Caleb stepped further into the study, his feet not stopping until he was an arms length away from the other teen. Pogue tensed with every step, making Caleb's heart lurch painfully. The long haired boy was watching his every step carefully, almost as if he was afraid Caleb would strike him.

He didn't bother keeping the pain from his face and in one quick motion he rushed forwards and wrapped his arms around the other boy's shoulders. Pogue's entire body went stiff in his arms, almost as if the embrace caused him pain. Out of the corner of his eye, Caleb could see Pogue's hands rise slightly, as if he was going to hug back but they dropped to the teen's side a moment later. Caleb forced himself to ignore it.

"I've missed you so much." He whispered, pulling the blond tighter against him. "You don't know how--"

"Let go."

Caleb raised his head, confused. "What?"

"Let go of me." Pogue said coldly, his eyes not even meeting Caleb's.

Feeling hurt, Caleb removed his arms from the other boy's shoulders. "Sorry, I just—"

He cut off when he glimpsed Pogue's face. The other boy's eyes were watery, as if he was seconds away from tears. He reached a hand out and intended to put his hand on Pogue's shoulder for comfort but it was pushed away before it made contact.

"Caleb, don't—"

"Why?" He couldn't stop himself from asking.

Apparently Pogue must've heard or sensed his pain because the other boy raised his head and finally met his eyes. He tried his hardest not to shiver when those eyes bore into him.

"Because..." Pogue seamed to struggle with his words for a moment. "Because it's just easier this way."

"What?"

He didn't get an answer. Pogue merely lowered his head and moved away from him. Caleb's eyes followed him as he crossed the room, the inside of his stomach tightening painfully. Without a second look, Pogue left the study and Caleb heard the sound of the closest bedroom door slam shut. The eldest jumped at the sound and felt his shoulders slump.

What had he done wrong?

Footsteps soon reached his ears and his mother pushed her way into the room before he could raise his head.

"Oh, sweetie." She murmured as she embraced him, her eyes full of tears.

Over her shoulder, Caleb saw Gorman glance briefly into the room before trudging down the hall after Pogue. Great, the two of them had heard everything.

"Can we leave?"

To his relief, mother nodded hastily and gently pulled him towards the front of the house by his arm. He was too wounded mentally to mouth his thanks.

--------------------------------

"Pogue, open the door."

The empath ignored Gorman's voice as he eyed the far wall. He wasn't going to leave the room until Evelyn and Caleb were gone and after that, he planned on never visiting the colony house for the rest of the year, not matter how horrible or lonely he felt.

The doorknob jingled heavily as Gorman tired to turn it. "Pogue."

(No.)

The empath voiced his answer mentally and felt Gorman register it. The elder hesitated in the hallway before walking away with a mental sigh.

_We'll discuss this when I come back.._

Pogue sighed and drew his knees to his chest. That was a conversation he wasn't looking forwards too. Still, letting Gorman think he was an ungrateful bastard was better then him finding out the real reason he didn't want to be near Caleb. It was bad enough that he kept having dreams about it and kept finding himself aroused from those dreams.

Pogue sighed and dropped his head. Why did he keep thinking of that night? No matter how hard he tried and forced himself, he could never block out the image of Caleb's face, flushed heavily and panting as the older boy writhed under him. Damn it.

The empath closed his mind off completely, letting himself only focus on the sounds rustling through the old house. He could faintly hear Gorman's footsteps heading up the hallway and they grew louder as they stopped in front of the door. With a sigh, Pogue unlocked the door with a flash of his eyes, knowing it would be better to get this over with as quickly as possible.

The elder hobbled into the room, his feet coming to a stop a foot away from where Pogue sat.

"Caleb's gone."

Pogue couldn't help his sigh of relief.

"Care to tell me why you just ripped your bother's heart to pieces?"

"No." The teen replied simply.

"Pogue." Gorman sighed, twisting his cane between his fingers. "What is happening to you?"

Pogue raised his head slightly. "You know damn well what's happening to me."

"That's not what I meant. Your brother is hurting; you can not simply sit there and tell me that means nothing to you."

Pogue's fingers tightened into his forearms. Gorman was right; it did mean something to him. Caleb's pain meant everything to him, he could still feel traces of it in the air inside the house and around the elder's being and it made the empath mentally cringe. But what was even worse, the one thing that hurt Pogue more then anything else, was knowing that he was the cause of all of Caleb's pain.

He didn't even deserve to be in the same room after what he did to Caleb that one night.

"What do you want from me, Gorman?" Pogue sighed.

"What I want boy, is for you to stop being so damned stubborn." The elder tapped his cane against the wooden floor impatiently. "Your brothers need you and you need them, especially now."

Gorman's anger was strong and heavy in the air. Pogue squirmed under it's intensity but refused to yield. He wasn't going to let the elder bully him into anything; he'd had enough of Chase doing that months ago.

"Just leave me alone." The empath whispered and dropped his head into his arms.

Gorman's answer was firm. "No."

"Gorman—"

"My eldest godchild was near tears ten minutes ago. I am going _nowhere_, boy."

Pogue growled into his arms.

(GO AWAY!)

_No!_

Pogue roared in anger mentally and shut his mind off from the elder, constructing a heavy wall around himself. The elder was prodding too deep for his liking, if he didn't keep his mind under heavy lock and key Gorman would, no doubt, discover a few dark memories Pogue wanted nothing more then to keep hidden.

Gorman lightly probed Pogue's mental defenses, testing their strength.

"What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing."

"Pogue."

"I can't, Gorman." Pogue mumbled as he tightened his arms around his knees. "I just, can't."

"You can't, what?"

The teen thumped his heels against the floor. "I can't be near Caleb."

The elder's face was puzzled. "Why not?"

"Because."

The elder grew impatient once more.

"Because why?"

Pogue drew in a deep breath, his frustration reaching a completely new and dangerous level.

"Gorman, I'm only going to say this one more time. Leave. Me. Alone."

The elder's nostrils flared in anger but Gorman, reluctantly, withdrew his powers from Pogue's mind. The empath sighed in relief.

"Thank you."

"Don't think I'm letting this go so easily, Pogue." Gorman warned. "Stay the night here; I want to see your arm in the morning."

Pogue raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Gorman stomped out of the room. He mentally followed the elder's trail into his study with his mind before closing the bedroom door with a lazy wave of his hand. God he felt strung out and tired from all that had happened and what was worse, he was in the same mental space as Gorman, meaning he'd have to keep his mind under a tight watch for the rest of the evening. Great.

Pogue thumped his head against his knee. Things could not get any worse for him at the moment and he took a minor comfort in that fact. Now, if only he could erase the image of the wounded brown eyes from his memory…

The empath sighed sadly, knowing the image of Caleb's hurt face would forever haunt him.

------------------------------------

"I just don't know what's gotten into him all of a sudden. I mean, that wasn't like Pogue, I've known that boy since he was in diapers and he's never been that selfish."

Caleb groaned mentally, his mother had been on a warpath ever since they'd left the colony house and he was beginning to get a headache from it.

"Mom—"

"I thought he was a wreck the day I went to the colony house after they found you, but after today, what has gotten into that boy! Nothing could have been that horrible for him to—"

"—Mom—" Caleb's voice grew more persistent.

"—Treat you like that, I mean, the two of you have been inseparable since birth. There's nothing you could've done that would've warranted that behavior from him."

Caleb groaned loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose.

**(Ugh, can you just let it go, Mom!)**

Evelyn opened her mouth to continue her rant but her voice suddenly died inside of her throat. Bewildered, she closed her mouth and silently stared at the road through the car window. Caleb blinked and eyed her closely. Did he just silence her? The teen blinked, he didn't use his powers nor felt himself do so out of reflex.

No, that was something else.

The rest of their ride was spent in complete, utter silence.


	6. Chapter 6

First off, I had over 500 hints for the last chapter and it's been about 2 month and not a single person reviewed. I can't help but be a little hurt at that. Second, we all should thank my good friend Lil Kitsune-chan because without her awesomeness, this wouldn't have been updated.

-

**Chapter 6**

-

_Welcome to where time stands still  
no one leaves and no one will  
Moon is full, never seems to change  
just labeled mentally deranged  
Dream the same thing every night  
I see our freedom in my sight  
No locked doors, No windows barred  
No things to make my brain seem scarred_

_Metallica "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"_

-

John Putnum drummed his fingers idly on the stone table, enjoying the feel of the cold surface under the tips of his fingers. After a hundred years, he could actually feel and touch something solid, it was wonderful.

His eyes moved towards the two lifeless bodies sprawled upon the stone floor. If absorbing the life-force of two human's restored this much vitality to him he wondered what a more powerful source could bestow.. If he found someone powerful enough maybe he could finally be free of his prison.

Hmm, that was a tempting thought, too tempting.

He mauled the idea over inside of his head as he stroked the glossy surface of the table. The large wooden doors sat silently a hundred feet away from him, taunting him with the thought of freedom. If only he was strong enough to move them.

With a click of his tongue, John Putnum leaned back on his hands. What could he do? He doubted anymore humans would somehow wander into the room's dark depths, he was still curious about how the pervious two made it down here. That meant he'd have to move the damned door himself or have someone else do it.

A smile came across his face. Now that was a thought, he even had the prefect boy in mind too, one that was very powerful. Summoning his power, Putnum closed his eyes and focused on locating the remaining traces of the boy's power concealed inside of the room and deep inside the womb of the stone table.

Clearing his mind, Putnum sent his powers outward. The boy would come, he was sure of it. The question was, how pleasurable would the visit be for both of them.

-----------------------------------

_Pogue._

Pogue groaned as a honey-sweet voice reached his ear. His eyes fluttered open and the walls of the colony house soon focused around him. Before he could fall back asleep, a hot jolt of power hit Pogue's spine at full force, making his entire body tingle from the sensation.

Confusion delayed his reactions and he wasn't able to prevent his mind from being grabbed and held in a strong hold. His right arm started stinging painfully as the runes suddenly appeared and started making their way up his shoulder. They continued their writhing until they reached Pogue's neck and cheek. His vision started hazing over into a sea of blue as the runes went into his eyes and he felt his body roll of the side of the bed from his frantic thrashing.

_Hello Pogue._

Pogue shivered, he knew that voice. He felt his body push its self to his feet without his consent. Pogue tried wiggling his fingers and panicked slightly when he realized they weren't obeying him. Something was in control of his body.

_Come to me little one._

His feet started moving against his will. His hand opened the door and stepped into the hallway. As his feet neared the study, Pogue was struck with an idea, Gorman. Gathering his powers, the empath reached out towards the elder's mind. The attempt was blocked, however, and Gorman's presence remembered stationary on the second floor of the house.

(Dammit.)

After opening the front door of the house and closing it behind him, Pogue found himself standing outside in the chilly, early morning fog. His feet kept walking. Soon he walked past the rundown gate of the driveway and disappeared into the woods lining the house. He walked for several minutes, forcing himself to fight the hold on him the entire time but to no avail.

Pogue was finally brought back to his senses when he felt his foot step on something metal, a loud _clank _echoed inside of his ears. He glanced down as far as his upturned neck would allow, his foot was standing on a large, metal ring. Fearful, Pogue raised his eyes. Somehow he was standing in the middle of the remains of Putnum barn.

(Oh shit.)

His hand waved and the heavy, cellar doors he was standing near lifted open, reviling the long path of stone stairs. Against every fiber of his will, he started descending down them. By the time the wooden doors came into view, panic had seized his mind. Summoning all of his strength, Pogue willed his body to stop. He succeeded, his legs locked up just a few feet away from the doors.

The presence looming around him wasn't pleased.

_Open them._

(No.)

_Pogue…_ The voice drawled heavily. _Open the doors._

(No.)

A tremor ran through his entire body, forcing his arms to rise and place themselves on the doors in front of them. With a slight push, they opened, revealing the stone room. Pogue shivered, he never wanted to be back in this room for as long as he lived.

His feet led him into the room and he stopped just a few inches shy of the stone table. John Putnum himself was propped upon the stone's surface, his cold eyes watching Pogue's every move.

"Hello Pogue."

Pogue shivered as the hold around his body vanished, leaving him winded and very confused. "What the fuck is this?"

Putnum stared at him for a long moment before sighing impatiently. "Come on boy, I thought you were intelligent. You know very well where you are."

"I know where the hell I am, thank you."

"Then why did you ask?"

Pogue narrowed his eyes and coiled his shoulders tight. "My year isn't up."

"I know." Putnum clicked his tongue.

"Then what the hell do you want?"

The empath winced mentally as a feral grin spread across Putnum's lips.

"Now that is a good question. What I want Pogue, is to leave my prison." Putnum purred as he slid off the stone table to his feet. "And _you're_ going to help me."

Pogue took a step back, hating the fact that Putnum was in his personal space. "And I'm going to do that because?"

Putnum rose to the challenge and closed the distance between them. His cold fingers reached out and grasped Pogue's jaw and held it in a tight grip. Before the empath could even consider pulling away from the touch, Putnum leaned closer and pressed his ice cold lips against Pogue's mouth.

The teen groaned in outrage and pushed the elder away roughly. "Get the fuck off me!"

Putnum let out a bark of laughter. "What's wrong boy; I'm not your taste?"

"Fuck no." The teen spat as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand in disgust.

"Really? That's unfortunate."

The elder leaned forward once again and trailed his fingers down Pogue's bare arm. The strong fingers tightened around his bicep a moment later and powerful, knee shaking tremor rolled through the empath's entire body. Pogue groaned and shivered, the feeling was wonderful. It rose goosebumps along his arm and sent sweet vibrations straight to his cock. Putnum removed his hand after a moment, an amused chuckle echoing inside of his throat.

"Am I your taste now?"

Pogue swallowed heavily. What the hell was that? Whatever the elder just did, whatever that was…it was intense. There was no other word for it.

The elder leaned in for another kiss, his cold lips pressing against Pogue's before forcing the pair to part with his tongue. The empath groaned, not fully understanding why Putnum's advances suddenly felt so good and let the man's tongue plunder his mouth.

The kiss ended after a moment and with a deep smile, Putnum placed his hands on Pogue's shoulders. More ripples of power surged through the teen's body, setting his nerves on fire and making him moan loudly. Too soon the wonderful feelings stopped.

"Your skin is so warm." Putnum murmured, lightly nuzzling the teen's neck. "It's been a while since I've held a warm body in my arms."

(Same here.)

Pogue felt his eyes slid closed as the man's teeth nipped at the too sensitive skin of his neck and ear. The touch was cold but not unpleasant. Pogue allowed Putnum's hands to caress his shoulders and neck. But when the hands twisted onto his back and pulled him close to the man's wintery chest, Pogue was brought back to reality.

Putnum was touching him. The man who was going to claim his life in less then a year was fucking _touching_ him! Not only that, the touch was loving, as if Putnum was seducing him. This was beyond wrong!

"Whoa, back the fuck up." He shoved the man away hastily, ignoring the slight tingle in his skin.

The elder's face held amusement. "You are not enjoying this?"

"Hell no." Pogue lied.

Putnum's fingers lightly traced along Pogue's skin, sending soft tremors of pleasure through the teen's flesh. "You are lying."

Pogue shuttered and squeezed his eyes shut. He was not enjoying this, he was not enjoying this, he was not—Oh fuck.

"Remarkable isn't it?"

"Mmh." Pogue whimpered as Putnum's powers once again lit his nerves on fire.

-----------------------------------

Caleb's fingers coiled into tight fists as his eyes fluttered under their closed lids. Sweat covered his chest and neck in thick, cooling layers.

_He was standing in a room; its walls were made of stone and held together by dark red pillars. A strong hand gently ghosted down the front of his chest, lightly rubbing and caressing his taunt skin. Every nerve inside of his body was on fire and the touch earned a heated groan from his lips._

_The touch felt good but it was unwanted, he could hear someone in the back of his mind screaming that it wasn't right. The man touching him wasn't the one he wanted._

Caleb groaned and tossed his head from side to side on his pillow. Across the room from him, the drawers on his dresser rattled loudly, as if a strong force was shaking their foundations.

_The hand touching his chest was as cold as death. It raised goosebumps on his skin but the chill only added to the pleasure and the tightening growing in his lower belly. Oh god help him, the touches felt so good, so damned good…_

The dresser slowly scooted a few inches away from its position against the wall and the wood groaned loudly as a strong force pressed against it. The photos on the wall behind it soon began rattling against their frames and mounts. Caleb's fingers curled tighter against his palm.

_"It's been so long since the last time I've held a warm body in my arms." The man above him purred deeply into his ear. "I can give you more, so much more if you'll let me."_

_His hands continued moving up and down his body, drawing more groans and pleased sounds from his lips._

------------------------------------

"It's been so long since the last time I've held a warm body in my arms." Putnum leaned closer and nipped the teen's ear slightly. "I can give you more, so much more if you'll let me."

Pogue groaned in reply. The elder's arms moved to his back and lightly kneaded the skin, causing his head to fall forwards against the man's shoulder. Being touched this way was so wonderful. The last time he had been caressed this way was when he and Caleb—

(No.)

The memories of the night he took Caleb surfaced inside of his mind before he could stop them. He felt Putnum's mouth freeze against the skin of his neck and curve into a grin. The man's powers coursed through Pogue's body once more and the empath's control finally cracked. His body became heavy in Putnum's arms as the tremors finally became too much.

The elder's smile turned feral when he felt the boy give in. It was too easy. Slowly, Putnum's hands wound around Pogue's torso and tightened into an unbreakable hold. The boy quickly came to his senses and tensed..

"Oh no, no, no, you're going no where." Putnum purred in a mocking voice. "You're mine."

Pogue didn't have long to process the meaning of the words before a blinding white pain shot through his arm and across his chest. He didn't need to look at his arm to know that the tattoo was slithering across his skin once more, the pain and the stinging told him all he needed to know.

He cried out in pain and fell to his knees when Putnum released his hold. The runes burned their way up his neck and extended their trail across his chest and neck.

"Excruciating isn't it?" Putnum drawled as he watched.. He closed the distance between them with a few steps and placed both of his hands on Pogue's right arm where the depths of the tattoo generated. "Unfortunately, it's going to get worse."

A loud, bone curling scream tore from Pogue's throat as Putnum's powers forced their way into his body. The elder's powers tore, twisted and pulled at every fiber of his being. His strength was bleeding away from him and into Putnum's hands.

For once in his life, Pogue found himself momentarily grateful that his vision was growing hazy. Soon, his surroundings turned into a heavy black fog and he welcomed the darkness that was awaiting him.

---------------------------------------

_Pain, blinding white hot pain was coursing through his entire body. His power, his life-force was being taken from him by that monster. _

"No." Caleb moaned as his fingers curled against his palm hard enough to draw blood.

_His presence was growing weaker and fading. It was slipping away from him and into the awaiting darkness. No, no, no, no, no…_

"Pogue!"

Caleb bolted upright with a cry. A thundering crash made him jump several inches and he turned his head in search of the sound. His dresser was lying face down on the floor, along with several picture frames and shattered glass pieces.

He was quickly distracted from the sight when the left side of his chest suddenly burned with warmth. Raising a hand to it, Caleb forced himself to take several deep breaths as he fought to get his breathing under control.

(Pogue.)

He quickly shot out of his bed and ran to his overturned dresser. Grabbing the first few things his shaking hands could reach, Caleb dressed and ran from his bedroom towards the garage. His mind was whirling with questions but only one thing mattered to him at this point, Pogue was in trouble and possibly dying. He didn't know where his best friend was but none of that mattered, he was going to find him.

His chest burned with warmth as he climbed into his mustang and started the engine.

-----------------------------------------

(Open.)

Letting his eyes drift closed, John Putnum raised his hand and summoned his powers. The heavy wooden doors rattled and groaned on their foundations.

Putnum inhaled a deep breath and concentrated. He pulled the fingers of his hand into a fist and pulled his hand back. A smile came to face when he heard the sounds of the doors being pulled apart.

(Finally.)

Dropping his arm, Putnum opened his eyes and looked down at the body sprawled on the cold stone floor. "I knew you would be useful for something."

The smile stayed firm on his face as he strolled through the open doors and climbed the stairs. The morning air was cool and crisp. He inhaled another deep breath and sighed happily when he felt the air roll down his throat and into his now functioning lungs.

He lifted a hand for inspection. His skin was still pale looking but it wasn't wavy or transparent. He was whole, he was human once more.

(I'm free.)

Those two little words kept repeating themselves over and over inside of his head as he lazily walked into the woods, leaving his prison for the past four hundred years behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Yeah, real life sucks when your a fic writer and working five days a week. Its short but the next chapter is about halfway done so...

**Chapter 7**

_Wake up._

A voice tickled Pogue's ear like a brief gust of wind and woke him from the comforting sea of darkness.

(Wha…?)

He shook it off, ignoring the voice completely and willed the darkness to pull him under once more. He didn't want to wake up; he wanted to stay here, in the darkness where he was safe and there was no pain, no heart-ache.

_Ugh._ The voice growled, persist. _Wake up dammit!_

That voice…why was it so familiar to him?

Reluctantly, Pogue roused himself from the dark depths and reached for the presence he could feel lingering around him. It was weak, almost as weak as empath's body felt, and it gratefully wrapped it's self against Pogue's mind, lending what little strength it had to the teen. As it curled against him, a shiver rolled through Pogue's body. The presence…it felt strange for some reason. It was familiar, like its voice, and Pogue was sure he knew it from somewhere but he couldn't't place it finger on it. He was too tired to even think at the moment, all he wanted was to slip back under the pull of the darkness…

_Hey!_ The voice pushed against his mind like a rough punch. _No, no, no, none of that._ _Wake the fuck up! Now._

(Can't, too tired, just wanna sleep…)

_Don't you dare! You're my only way out of here._

(What?)

_Just—just stay awake for a little longer. Don't go under._

(Too tired, wanna sleep.)

_Think of Caleb. Don't you want to see him again?_

At this, Pogue tensed..

(How do you know…?)

_Don't go under._ The voice urged once more, desperate. _Please._

He wanted to listen, the pained and desperate plea cut right into his heart, but against his will, Pogue felt consciousness slip away from him. The darkness closed in once more and he was powerless to avoid its welcoming grasp. The voice's cries and pleas soon faded from his ears completely as he sank into the abyss.

----------------------------

"You haven't heard from him?"

"_No."_ A very sleepy and grumpy Reid grumbled on the other line. _"He hasn't called us for over a week now."_

(Shit.)

Caleb's eyes were hard as they stared through the windshield of the Mustang. "Alright, let me know if he calls or anything.."

"_You and I both know he won't."_

Caleb grit his teeth. "Reid."

"_I know, I know, I'll call you."_

With a frustrated groan, Caleb ended the call and tossed his phone onto the passenger's seat. As the Mustang slid through an intersection, Caleb turned the wheel and changed direction. Since Pogue wasn't at school, and he had no clue where the teen's apartment was since Reid wasn't willing to answer his questions –apparently he was sworn to some weird oath Pogue had made about him never revealing its location— he was only left with one more option, the colony house.

The paved streets and the bricked shops soon came to an ended and gave way to a bumpy dirt road and bright green trees. The woods streaked past him in a bright green haze. Under any other circumstances, the drive would've soothed his nerves but at the moment, all they did was distress them even more.

(Pogue, where the hell are you?)

Caleb's hands thumped on the steering wheel impatiently. Was his friend even alive? No, no he refused to even let his thoughts wander there. No, Pogue was fine; he just needed to find him, quickly.

Pain suddenly flared inside of his chest and Caleb yelped. Once more, the skin above his heart grew hot and tightened. Before he could comprehend why, Caleb's foot pressed down on the break and the mustang slowed to a stop. Raising a hand, Caleb lightly held it against his shirt, feeling the heat radiate from his skin.

Pogue was close; every single part of his instincts was telling him so.

When he finally raised his head and looked at his surroundings, Caleb felt the air freeze inside of his lungs. Less then a hundred feet away from him was the wreckage of Putnum barn. A chill settled deep inside of his body and cut right into his bones. The barn…he never wanted to see it again. If he was brave enough, he would've made the trek out here a month ago and burned what remained of the damn thing to the ground…again.

The heat inside of his chest intensified and sensing the silent hint, Caleb reluctantly unbuckled his seat belt and turned off the car. A part of him knew this was stupid, the wreckage didn't resemble the place where he dreamed Pogue was in the slightest but he couldn't shake the feeling that was here _somewhere_. It wasn't like he had anything else to go on at the moment.

His feet felt heavy as he made his way through the overgrown grass and debris. This place was just as he remembered, dark, decayed, and burnt. The only difference was that some of the burnt pillars and beams had been recently moved aside, leaving trails of ash and dust leading back to their original falling place.

After rounding a fallen beam Caleb's feet came to a stop. In the center of the barn a cellar door lay open. A long staircase of some kind could be seen through its open center, its reach disappearing deep into the ground. Caleb eyed the sight wearily. The door wasn't familiar to him but at the same time it was. He was sure he had seen it before but he couldn't recall where. It wasn't like he'd ever sat foot near this place since…

Fighting against the tightening inside of his throat, Caleb shook his head. The left side of his chest grew hotter and hotter the long he stood there. Pogue was down there, every inch of his powers was screaming so.

Taking a deep breath, Caleb descended the stairs one at a time. Goosebumps rose on his skin the further he went. A set of large wooden doors lay at the bottom of the trail of stairs. They were open a fraction, giving him a short glimpse into the dark room beyond. A shiver rolled through his shoulders.

He had been here before, he could feel it deep inside of his bones but he couldn't remember ever setting foot on the stairs or walking through these doors but the feeling was unshakable. He gently nudged the doors with his foot, opening them wider. The room beyond was darker then he thought. Once he saw a nest of candles resting against the hard floor he quickly bent down to retrieve one and lit it with a quick flash of his eyes.

The small light gave him enough to see by. The ground under his feet was hard stone and a large, wide pillar rested a few feet away. He could see several more of them lining the room, holding the high ceiling in place. Around him was a sea of candles, many of them lay scattered along the stone floor and around a large foundation covered in shadows.

The air froze inside of his lungs when he got a closer look at what laid in the center of the room. His hands tightened into fists as he stared at the stone table, an ominous feeling settling in the back of his mind.

"_Like I said, there's nothing left of Caleb in here. It's. Just. Me."_

"_You son of a bitch, why won't you just fucking die?!"_

"_That's it, keep fighting… That's what _he_ wants."_

"_Oh god– I'm sorry Caleb. I'm so sorry."_

Thousands of images played behind Caleb's eyelids but he forced them away with a shake of his head. A shape behind the table grabbed his imitate attention. A figure lay crumpled on the ground and the candle dropped from Caleb's hand when he recognized who it was.

"Pogue."

Caleb was around the table and near Pogue's side in an instant. He shook his friend's shoulder. Pogue didn't respond. His skin felt cold and Caleb couldn't even feel any movement in his chest to signal breathing. In a panic, he rolled Pogue onto his back and felt along the teen's chest. Pogue was breathing but in very, very faint bursts.

Fuck.

"Pogue." Caleb shook his shoulder harder, hoping he could somehow jar his friend awake. "Pogue!"

No answer. Swearing softly, Caleb rolled Pogue towards the stone table and hefted the younger teen onto his shoulders. It was wobbly and painful at first but his powers soon righted him and allowed him to carry his friend's weight without a problem. His steps were slow as he left the room, not once allowing himself another look at the looming stone table that stood in the center of the room for fear of the memories it would stir awake.

---------------------------------

The door swung inward with an easy push, revealing a dusty and ruin down interior.

John Putnum eyed the inside of the cabin with a blank look. The roof was tattered and stripped in several places. The walls were weather stained and splintered. What little furniture remained was ruined beyond repair and decayed.

The sight pained him. This had once been his home. He had built this cabin from the ground up so many years ago by himself and without the assistance of his powers. This had been his sanctuary after he was cast out and abandoned by his brothers.

This was where he had spent so many happy years with Danny.

His eyes stung but didn't water; he wasn't human enough for them to do so. His eyes turned black and he sent a strong wave of his powers outward with a wave of his arm. The broken roof mended, the walls and the floor were swept free of dust and fire flared to life in the fireplace.

The elder dropped to the floor in front of it and stared heartedly at the flames. The world had changed so much it was almost overwhelming. He curled in on himself, enjoying the warmth that the fire created. For once the air around him wasn't cold or filled with death and sorrow.. There were no presences in the air or the cries of those in pain to be heard.

Leaning against the one of the walls, Putnum closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift into a peaceful, dreamless sleep for the first time in over four hundred years.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Gorman's eyes sleepily opened when he heard the sound of tires screeching to a halt. Bewildered, the elder quickly rolled to the edge of his bed and retrieved his cane. When he reached the hallway he began to feel the presence of his godchildren, followed by a loud thud as his front door was kicked open.

"Gorman!"

The elder felt a chill in the air as Caleb's voice called out from the foyer. He hurried to the front of the house as fast as he could. Caleb stood in the now open doorway, a limp figure cradled in his arms. Gorman's heart missed a beat when he saw it was Pogue.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, I just found him like this." Caleb's voice was shaky and much darker then usual. His fear was slicing deep into Gorman's mind. "He's barely breathing."

Gorman was across the room and at their side within a blink. He glanced at Caleb's face briefly, noticing the wide, fearful eyes and the tense jaw, before turning his full attention to Pogue. The empath's skin was cold to the touch but the elder could still feel shallow breathing in his chest. There was hope.

"In there, quickly." Gorman pointed towards the closest bedroom as he lifted Pogue's other arm around his shoulders.

Together they managed to maneuver the unconscious teenager through the halls and into a bedroom.

"Is he hurt anywhere?"

Caleb shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't see any bleeding or anything—he was just lying _there _on the ground when I found him."

Gorman nodded and rubbed his hands together. When they filled with warmth and the tips of his fingers were red, he began brushing them along Pogue's neck and shoulders, sending strong ripples of the elder's power into Pogue's slowly fading presence. The elder sighed in relief, if Caleb hadn't gotten him here in time no doubt the boy would have been lost for good. Gorman's chest tightened just thinking about it.

Several minutes passed in silence as the elder fed more of his strength and power into the unconscious teen. He stopped when he felt Pogue's heart beat at a normal, healthy rhythm and opened his eyes.

"Where did you find him?"

Caleb fidgeted slightly, his eyes downcast. "Near Putnam barn."

Gorman froze. "What?"

Caleb's fear intensified to a much greater level. Gorman squirmed mentally but he forced his discomfort aside. He needed answers, now.

"Caleb." He began gently. "I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

Caleb hung his head and choked out a tiny whisper. "I don't know."

----------------------------

"_It__'__s gonna be ok Pogue.__"__ Caleb__'__s voice whispered. __"__It__'__ll be ok.__"_

_Pogue didn__'__t reply. His eyes stared at the far wall of Caleb__'__s bedroom, numb and never blinking._

_Four days ago he was called out of class and told that his parents had been involved in a car accident. Three days ago, William and Evelyn were granted temporary custody of him. Two days ago, he was moved into the Danvers house and Evelyn spent the rest of the day treating him like a piece of glass that was bound to break at any given moment. Today Caleb had been glued to him since the moment they both awoke. _

_Now the two of them sat on the floor of Caleb__'__s bedroom, Pogue leaning against the side of Caleb__'__s bed and the older boy sitting across from him, eyeing him closely. Pogue refused to meet his__gaze. His parents were gone. Those evil little words kept floating around inside of his head. His parents were gone. Gone. Dead. He wasn__'__t sure what word was worse. He was alone in the world._

"_Pogue, look at me.__"_

_He didn__'__t. Those brown eyes could always work through his carefully made barriers and make him succumb to any pleading. He didn__'__t want to break, not ever, and especially not in front of Caleb. All he wanted at the moment was to__stay numb and not feel anything besides the shell he had created around himself. If he lowered it, he knew he would break._

_Caleb scooted closer, his arms reaching out and placing themselves on Pogue__'__s shoulders, forcing the younger teenager to meet his gaze. __"__Pogue.__"_

_Pogue__'__s throat tightened and he tried to look away but Caleb__'__s eyes held him rooted to the spot. They were wide, glossy and pleading. Within a blink of an eye they broke through every one of Pogue__'__s defenses._

"_Caleb don__'__t__—"_

"_No.__"__ Caleb remained firm and drew Pogue close into a hug. __"__You__'__re not alone. Don__'__t do this, don__'__t wall yourself in.__"_

_Pogue__'__s eyes grew wet and he fought hard against the tears threatening to fall. No, he wouldn__'__t loose it, not in front of Caleb. He wouldn__'__t cry, he wouldn__'__t! No matter how much pain he was in or how much the memories hurt. _

_He wouldn__'__t cry!_

The memory came to a crashing halt when Pogue heard a laugh echo inside of his head. The image of his younger self and Caleb immediately faded, leaving him alone in a sea of darkness.

_How sweet._

Pogue stirred awake. He couldn't see or feel anything in the thick velvet clouds. The only sound he could hear was the blood pounding heavily inside of his ears.

(What the hell?)

_Well hello sleeping beauty, I was beginning to think you were dead._

Pogue grew confused. There was that voice again but where was it coming from? As far as he could tell it sounded like…..oh fuck, it was coming from inside of his head! Gathering himself, Pogue felt around his subconscious with his powers. His thoughts soon brushed against something that felt like a presence, but it was weak. Someone was here with him. Someone was inside of his own mind with him!

That was perfect incentive to panic.

He forced up his mental walls for protection and hid behind them. The intruder remained outside the barriers, silent and unmoving.

_This again?_ The voice sighed. _Don__'__t think to hard or you__'__ll hurt yourself._

Before Pogue could utter a retort, his mind started growing foggy. Soon it became too hard for him to think clearly and it was a struggle just to keep his defenses up.

_I told you so. Now, would you mind going back to sleep before you cause us anymore problems?_

(Us!?)

_Always the drama queen._ The presence sighed loudly before retreating behind its own mental wall, exhaustion trailing in its wake.

Pogue felt the urge to follow it but resisted, staying behind his own mental defenses until he felt himself sink back into the welcoming darkness. He was tired as well and with the intruder running around inside of his mind. Ugh, he was going to need all of his strength to deal with that.

---------------------------

"You saw him in a dream?"

Caleb nodded, biting his lip slightly. "Yeah but it wasn't just a dream, it was like I was in that strange place with him."

"Where you seeing through Pogue's eyes or did it seem like you were somewhere else in the room?"

"It felt like I was standing next to him the whole time." Caleb replied slowly rubbing a hand down his face.

Gorman pressed his lips into a fine line. This was…well _strange_ was a good word to use. His eyes watched Caleb as the teen paced back and forth in his study, examining his movements. The boy's words made no sense, if Caleb saw what he was claiming to have witnessed and in the matter described, then it could mean only one thing and at the moment the elder was having a hard time believing it. The time frame and behavior simply didn't add up.

"What were you feeling at the time you had this dream?"

Caleb halted in his stride and blinked. "Feeling?"

"Did a part of your head start to hurt or did you feel any strange emotions?"

"No." Caleb shook his head and then paused for a moment. "Wait; there was this weird thing- the side of my chest keeps heating up."

Gorman fought to keep his surprise unseen on his face. "Is it the skin near your heart?"

"Yeah, right here." Caleb rubbed the left side of his chest with his palm. "It feels like I'm standing in front of a heater or something."

The elder's fingers tightened around the handle of his cane. This wasn't good.

"Have you and Pogue seen each other away from this house?"

"No. He's been completely avoiding me since…you know." Caleb's face hardened and Gorman's heart lurched at the sight. "He won't even see Reid or Tyler."

Swallowing down the bile rising in his throat, Gorman continued. "What about the night of your birthday, when the past few months _began_, were you two together then?"

"No, why?"

It was Gorman's turn to run a hand over his face. "Because Caleb, what you are describing and _feeling _is one of the most rare and _difficult_ bonds the power can forge."

The eldest son looked taken back from the words. "What kind of bond?"

"Caleb." Gorman began gently before dropping his head. "Chances are you are not ready to hear the answer." With a sigh, the elder shuffled his feet across the floor. "I need to speak with Pogue when he awakes."

"What are you not telling me?"

Caleb's voice was small and fearful, his eyes dark and glittering in the faint light. The sight wounded the elder terribly.

"Get some rest Caleb." Gorman said softly as he left the room.

Caleb's fear and irritation nudged heavily at the back of his mind and Gorman had to use every ounce of his resolve to ignore it. He needed to get to the bottom of what was going on and fast.

--------------------------------

Pogue groaned as his eyes fluttered under their closed lids. Oh god, his head felt like it was splitting in two. There was a heavy ringing in his ears that seamed to travel through his entire skull.

He groaned and rolled onto his side. The surface he was lying on was soft and comfortable. A bed, he realized a moment later and judging from its firmness and the scratchy surface it was one of the old four posters in the colony house. That gave him enough motivation to open his eyes. Four old wooden walls surrounded him, along with aged furniture and paintings.

How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was being in the chamber of shadows when…

_**"Oh no, no, no, you**__**'**__**re going no where. You**__**'**__**re mine."**_

Pogue's entire body went cold. Putnam did something to him. He remembered the elder's power clawing its way into his body and robbing him of his strength. Putnam had tried to kill him.

_Awake again I see._

The empath jumped when the voice tickled the back of mind once more. On instinct he summoned the shields around his mind to protect himself and the voice groaned in annoyance.

_Oh don__'__t bother. If I wanted to gut your brain I would__'__ve done it when you were unconscious._

Pogue hesitated but kept his mind cut off.

(What the hell do you want?)

_I__'__m not your problem at the moment. The old geezer is coming._

Before Pogue could ask what he meant, his ears picked up the sound of Gorman's cane in the hallway. The elder appeared in the doorway a moment later.

"You're still in one piece I see."

"More or less." Pogue mumbled as he sat up fully.

He felt the presence move to the back of his mind in an attempt to remain hidden. Apparently it was afraid of being discovered.

Gorman approached the bed and looked his godchild over. "How are you feeling?"

"Like hell, but I'm sure I'll live." Pogue shook his head lightly in an attempt to clear the growing fog. "How did I get here?"

"Caleb."

Pogue flinched at the name and he briefly felt the presence at the back of his mind take note of it, as if intrigued.

"Caleb?"

"He brought you here several hours ago, weak and hardly breathing." Gorman's eyes were hard as they stared down at him. "What happened?"

"I—" Pogue hung his head and inhaled deeply.

He sorted through his memories and found that one was pushed forwards but not from his command. The voice residing inside of his mind retreated once more behind its thick walls after showing him a brief image of John Putnam walking through the large, double doors and never returning.

"John Putnam's free."

Silence settled inside of the room and was then pushed aside by Gorman's disbelief.

"What?"

"He's free." Pogue whispered darkly.

He tilted his head up and gazed at Gorman's face. For once the elder was unreadable. His face was cold and his eyes hard. His slender fingers shot forwards and grasped Pogue's arm tightly. The empath startled but remained still as Gorman's fingers wrapped around his hand and the elder's powers touched his mind. Memories of standing before John Putnam and being drained of his powers played behind Pogue's eyes. However, the memories of the events that happened when he lost consciousness remained hidden from Gorman's sight by the mental wall the voice had formed around itself.

Pogue's hand was released a moment later and it fell to the bed softly.

"Gorman?"

Gorman's face was grim and tight. Without a word, the elder turned swiftly on his heel and left the room. His footsteps echoed inside the hallway as he slowly made his way to the far side of the house.

_That went well._

Pogue listened until he couldn't hear them anymore and growled mentally.

(You've got three seconds to start explaining this shit or-)

_Or you__'__ll what?_

(I'll find a way to tear you apart.)

_I wouldn__'__t if I was you._

(Watch me.)

The voice snickered loudly at that. _Alright covenant boy; give me your best shot._

Pogue blinked. That voice and that attitude was familiar, way to familiar but he was too angered to care. Turning his eyes black, Pogue gathered his powers and felt around his head until he brushed against the owner of the voice. Much too his surprise, the presence didn't resist or hide from him. It just remained stationary, waiting for him.

Pogue's powers latched around it and held tightly. A quick moment later, the empath started feeling lightheaded and then dizzy, as if drained. His head swam once more, like it did when he first awoke and the strength seamed to be draining from his body in dense waves.

(What the hell?)

He was forced to let go of his hold when the sensations became to strong. He fell against the bed with a soft groan, the room spinning in rough circles in front of his eyes.

_Told you so. _The voice sing-songed in a smug voice.

(What the hell was that?)

_Newsflash Pogue, Putnam didn__'__t __**try**__ to kill you, he __**did**__ kill you. _

(Well apparently he didn't because I'm still here breathing.)

_The only reason you are breathing is because of me!_ _If I wasn__'__t here, you__'__d be rotting on the Chamber__'__s floor._ The presence pushed against him, snarling. _If I leave, your dying breath goes with me._

Pogue pushed back with a growl.

(Go ahead and leave then. Death sounds better then arguing with a voice in my head.)

_You haven__'__t changed one fucking bit, have you?_ The voice groaned.

That caused Pogue's entire body to freeze.

(Who are you?)

_Aw, you don__'__t recognize me Pogue? I__'__m hurt. After all, we spent so much time together and became so close, so __**intimate**__._

Pogue's throat grew dry as everything seamed to click into place. The voice, the attitude, the sarcasm, it _was_ familiar. It could only belong to one person and Pogue could hardly bring himself to believe it was possible that he was hearing that voice again. Swallowing deeply, Pogue readied himself.

(Chase.)

The very name itself felt like a curse in Pogue's mind. A word that embodied every ounce of evil and malice in the world. The name that caused his anger to spike to unspeakable levels from the memories of the owner's evil and the empath's own weakness.

The owner of the voice lingered in darkness of Pogue's mind for a few moments, carefully picking its moment. When it spoke, its voice was deep and sarcastic.

_That__'__s my name, don__'__t wear it out._


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the long wait you all. I have a month off from work so hopefully I won't make you wait to long for the next part.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Caleb's stomach was turning in painful circles inside of his gut as he stared at the stained ceiling of the colony house. Gorman's words were still ringing loudly inside of his head but he wasn't making any sense of them.

_A rare and difficult bond that two people can forge_, what did that mean and more importantly, why wouldn't Gorman fully explain it to him? Of course the book of damnation covered the kind of bonds the power could forge with another user, ones that could boost both shares of power and ones that could heal and provide protection. However, he couldn't remember ever reading about anything that covered what Gorman had said.

With a sigh, Caleb raised a hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was testing his patience much more then the past month had and that was saying something.

He lowered his arm when he heard footsteps enter the quiet study. He glanced up just in time to see Gorman's boney shoulder stroll past the elbow of the couch. The elder's shoulders were tense and his face seamed several shades paler than usual.

Caleb sat up almost instantly. "Everything ok?"

"No." Gorman replied softly as he came to a stop near the small table by the large window overlooking the woods. "Pogue's awake if you want to see him."

"Um, ok." Caleb mumbled as he rolled off the couch.

His eyes remained on the elder as he moved to the doorway. Gorman's fingers reached for the old and dust covered phone that Caleb's mother had bought for the colony house when his fa—William's health started decreasing. He'd never even seen Gorman reach for it once, until now.

The eldest covenant member left the room, but remained in the hallway just out of sight. He couldn't help but be curious about this whole thing. He waited for a few moments before he heard Gorman sigh loudly.

"It's rude to eavesdrop Caleb."

Surprised at being caught and slightly embarrassed, Caleb quickly moved down the hall towards the bedroom Pogue was in.

------------------------------

Pogue almost fell off the edge of the bed. No. There was no way in hell this was possible, no fucking way.

Chase observed his behavior with amusement. _Don't hurt yourself._

(But-but you're dead!) Pogue's mind was frantic and whirling in ten different directions. Chase was dead; he died in the damned room a month ago.

_I've been dead for seven months genius._

(Why the hell won't you _stay_ dead then!? I thought Putnam destroyed your sorry ass.)

_Oh, well, you have my apologies for disappointing you, asshole._ Chase's voice was deep with anger, exactly how Pogue remembered it. _Now, are you gonna stop with the hissy fits or should I leave you alone for a few minutes?_

Pogue brought a hand up to his face and groaned. (This isn't happening.)

_Oh god. We're not going to go through the five stages of denial are we?_

(Shut the fuck up, will you?) Pogue snapped, trying in vain to place a mental block around his thoughts. This entire situation was giving him a migraine.

_This ain't a picnic for me either covenant boy. _Chase grumbled when he felt the slight throbbing inside of Pogue's mind_. You're the last fucking person on this earth I wanted to see again._

(The feeling's mutual, you're fucking lucky I can't touch you at the moment.)

_And you're lucky you're my last resort otherwise I'd tear your damn mind apart. Now if you're done bitching and moaning, how about we find some common ground?_

(Common ground?) The empath scoffed in disbelief. (What the fuck could we possibly have in common?)

_We both made a deal with Putnam didn't we?_

Silence filled his mind immediately following Chase's words. His ears started ringing from its intensity. It took a few moments, and several tries to collect his thoughts before he could bring himself to, weakly, force out a single coherent word.

(Deal?)

_The thing with the tattoo. _Chase sighed and supplied a mental picture of the blue tattoo that had secretly covered Pogue's skin for the past month. _After __**wonder boy**__ killed me, Putnam appeared to me and gave me enough power to keep what was left of myself stable. He also explained how the room worked, and what I needed to do in order to get my body back._

Pogue clicked his tongue impatiently. While most of Chase's words made sense, he still couldn't bring himself to give a damn or feel the slightest bit sorry for him. After all, Chase was the one who possessed Caleb, the one who robbed Caleb of control for six months and made the older teen attack his own Covenant, the one who made Pogue touch…

The empath shook his head and ended the train of thought right there.

(And?) He mumbled mentally.

_And, I couldn't help but notice, that you did as well._ Chase hummed maliciously. _What'd he offer you, Pogue?_

The air froze inside of Pogue's lungs from Chase's words. His chest tightened as the memories of Caleb's lifeless eyes staring up at him and Putnam's cold ones bearing down on him filled his mind. Pogue shook his head and sent the memories back into the darker corners of his mind, when he remembered he had an unwanted audience. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to lock the memories away in time and Chase glimpsed a few of them.

_I see._ _How…predictable. _

Pogue's anger bubbled heavily inside of his mind, drowning them both in its fire.

(Shut the fuck up. You were the reason that happened. If you hadn't tried to kill us; all those months ago, if you hadn't beaten to me to a pulp or abducted Sarah, then Caleb wouldn't have gone to the barn and he wouldn't have—)

_Do you ever shut up? It's like listening to a broken record for hours on end._ Chase groaned painfully in the back of his mind.

Pogue's eyes narrowed in anger. (Get to the fucking point already, while I'm still sane.)

_I want Putnam dead. _

That made one of Pogue's eyebrows rise. (You do?)

_Yes! Dead._ Chase snarled. _The fucker double crossed me!_

(Sounds like he did me a favor then.)

His snark only angered the resident inside of his head._ Give him ten more months and he'll do __**me **__one by killing __**you**__._

Pogue's teeth pressed together hard as his jaw coiled tight. God he wished Chase had a physical form at the moment so he could beat the shit out of it.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway outside of the room, giving him temporarily relief from the asshole currently residing inside of his head. He waited for them to get closer and when they did, Pogue felt his spirits lift to new heights and shatter into hundreds of pieces at the same time.

Caleb stood outside of the doorway, looking slightly unsure if he should enter the room or not.

"Hey."

Pogue's insides fluttered slightly from Caleb's voice. "Hey."

Caleb lingered in the hallway for another moment before finally stepping into the bedroom. His face was tense but his eyes were warm and calming, like they always were.

"You're ok, I was worried."

The empath tried to keep his heart from tightening from the words, but it was impossible since Caleb always seemed to have that effect on him. It was like asking his body to stop breathing for an agonizing period of time.

_Well, hello Caleb. He looks much better than the last time I saw him._

Pogue growled mentally and pushed Chase's presence to the depths of his mind as best as he could, scowling heavily at the snickering he heard. The fucker didn't even deserve to be in the same room with Caleb.

Caleb sat on the edge of the bed and managed a weak smile. Their knees lightly touched and heat flared in Pogue's cheeks. He prayed to god it wasn't noticeable.

"How are—are you doing ok?" Caleb asked, his voice edgy and several tones darker than usual. He was nervous about something.

Pogue's heart lurched a bit. "I'm fine. A little banged up but I'll live."

Caleb smiled weakly. "Good. I was really worried and you weren't breathing and—and I didn't know what to think."

"Caleb—"

Any following words quickly died inside of Pogue's throat when Caleb's arms came around him. Pogue tensed but felt his body relax after a moment or so, when Caleb's warmth hit him. God…

His arms started trembling at his sides. Caleb was always so warm, his skin so firm, soft and hard…

_Skin gliding against skin… rough hands touching and grabbing at taunt flesh…Caleb's voice uttering a soft gasp. _

"_Pogue please, more!"_

A shutter rolled throughout Pogue's entire body at the memory. Caleb unwound his arms immediately and Pogue saw a pained look on his face.

"Sorry."

"It's ok." Pogue quickly soothed, trying to quickly cover his discomfort. "I'm just a bit…sore, you know."

"Right." Caleb nodded in reply, but his face remained guarded.

The sight nearly tore the inside of Pogue's chest in half. Was it even possible for him to do anything nowadays without hurting Caleb in some way?

_Ugh. Stop with all the angst god dammit, I'm getting a headache._ Chase moaned in the back of his mind.

The empath growled mentally but otherwise ignored the comment. The last thing he wanted was to give Chase any more attention then he already had. Instead he focused his full attention on the teen sitting next to him. "How did I get here? Gorman said you found me."

"Well." Caleb started, pausing for a moment or so. "It was weird. Last night I fell asleep and I sort of, _saw_ you."

One of Pogue's eyebrows lifted a tick. "You what?"

"Sounds stupid, I know but— it was like I was dreaming and then I saw you in this room with someone and then…you kind of died."

Pogue bit his lip. That much he remembered. But Caleb saw all of that?

"How?"

"I don't know how. One minute you were standing there and the next you fell over and—"

"No, I meant how could you see all that?"

Caleb met his gaze and shrugged. "Hell if I know. Like, I said, it was weird. I just knew you were out there somewhere and hurt. "

Pogue blinked and stared hard at the bedding under his legs. Much to his ever increasing surprise, he found that Caleb's words actually made sense. How many times had he been pulled into Caleb's mind and saw through his eyes the past seven months? Then there were the times where he seemed to be in the same place as Caleb, watching him like a fly on the wall and feeling all his movements.

A cold feeling settled inside of Pogue's stomach. He wished with every fiber of his being that all of this was just a coincidence, but he knew better. His powers and presence was fused with Caleb's and had been for several months now. They shared the same bond Reid and Tyler did, one that bound them closely together and held stronger than any vow or promise.

The problem was, how the fuck was he ever going to explain to Caleb how it was forged? How could he ever admit to taking such advantage of someone who was more than a friend and almost a brother and betraying their trust so deeply?

How could he ever admit to anyone his sin?

How the hell could he even look Caleb in the eye after all he had done?

Scorning himself mentally, Pogue kept his eyes downturned as he slowly struggled to the edge of the bed. He rolled his feet to the floor with care, feeling the fatigue still present in his limbs.

Caleb was off the bed in an instant and inching closer. "Pogue you shouldn't be moving this soon."

"I'm hungry." The empath grumbled darkly.

It was a believable enough excuse and thankfully Caleb bought it. The older boy held out a hand to help his friend up but Pogue blatantly ignored it; along with the confused and hurt look on Caleb's face at his refusal, as he stood. His legs were a little wobbly but nothing else plagued him as he made his way to the hall.

Caleb's footsteps quietly followed him to the kitchen. It took every ounce of energy Pogue had left in him to not to look over his shoulder, not wanting to see the pain of rejection in his best friend's eyes.

---------------------------

"_You can't be serious." _Evelyn's voice whispered harshly through the phone.

"I'm afraid so." Gorman sighed and tightened his long fingers around the phone that was pressed against his ear. "Pogue's memories were clear enough."

"_Let me get this straight Joseph,"_ Evelyn's tone darkened dangerously and Gorman felt a part of himself flinch slightly. _"Not only are you telling me that John Putnam is __**real,**__ but after three hundred years, he's somehow still __**alive**__ and walking around?"_

"Evelyn, you've read the book of Damnation and I'm sure William has told you a good portion of our history. Death is never simple for any of the bloodlines."

"_So I've noticed."_ She hissed bitterly. Gorman felt a strong tightening inside his chest from her pain. _"What now, what do we do?"_

The elder was silent for several moments. His eyes stared through the large window in his study, at the long stretch of the bright green woods that bordered the colony house. Somewhere out there, in the long, forgotten stretch of wilderness, Putnam was lying in wait. He could feel it deep inside of his tired bones.

"He isn't at full strength yet, otherwise he would've stormed the grounds by now. We have some time, but not enough for anything drastic, before he makes his move."

"_Which is?"_

Gorman took a deep breath and released it slowly. "There are three things he wants that I'm sure of. I am entrusting two of them to you."

"_And the third?" _Evelyn asked, hesitant.

Gorman's eyes never left the sight of the trees. "I will not hide."

"_Gorman, you—you can't be serious!" _

"I am. I've spent the past three hundred years living in fear of this day. John will want vengeance and I will not run from him."

"_Won't the others protect you?"_

"No. Aside from Thomas, who's too far away to be of aid, I am all that is left."

Evelyn mumbled a few unintelligible words on her end of the phone. _"What about the boys, they need you."_

Gorman's eyes drifted closed as he sighed deeply. "They are the reason I am doing this. If my d—if I can distract him, get him to overuse it'll be in their benefit. He'll be weaker and there's a decent chance he will retreat back into the Chamber once more, to recover."

"_Gorman—"_

"I've made my decision Evelyn." Gorman sighed.

"_Fine." _The Danvers window sighed. _"Is there somewhere safe I can take them?"_

"Anywhere away from here, once Pogue is far enough away, Putnam's powers won't be able to locate him. I'll send them over to you within the hour. Promise me you'll keep them safe"

"_I will."_

"And please." Gorman paused and took a deep breath, his heart tightening as he did so. "Please, keep a close eye on Pogue. He's…he's in a difficult place, one which no boy of his age should be."

"_He is?"_ Evelyn asked hesitantly.

The elder felt a slight annoyance at her lack of observation skills, but quickly dismissed it. Evelyn had her own hands full with her son, picking up the wounded pieces and trying to rebuild Caleb and that task was no easier than his.

"Pogue's broken. I felt it when he returned Caleb to us a month ago, and I've felt it every day since. He's fighting me at every turn, isolating himself from his brothers—"

"_I've noticed."_

"Evelyn, please. I know you're still angry with him for pushing Caleb away." The elder growled lightly. "He's been pushing everyone away. He wants to be alone because he _feels_ that he _should_ be alone, but you can't let him. He's at a very dangerous crossroad. He needs his brothers and a loving hand to guide him down the right path."

His words must've been more ominous then he thought, because the other end of the phone was suddenly encased in silence. He sighed deeply.

"Just please promise me you'll take care of him. I can rest happy if I knew he was in good hands."

Evelyn's voice was soft but determined when she finally replied. _"I will Gorman. I'll take care of him."_

The heavy weight seamed to fall from the elder's shoulders at the words. "Thank you."

"_But please, __**please**__ rethink what you're about to do. We all love and need—"_

Gorman took the phone away from his ear and placed it back on its holder. He didn't need to rethink his actions. He made his decision a long time ago, when John's lifeless body fell to the ground by his feet, eyes chalk white and his blood staining the hallowed ground inside the barn. He knew when he took that monster's powers there would be a day when John walked the earth again. A day he would be forced to meet him, forced to face the monster that was once the small and frightened child Gorman had raised all those centuries ago.

Forcing those memories to the dark recesses of his mind, Gorman grasped his cane and hobbled towards the hall.

He could feel his two god children across the house in the kitchen and with a determined breath, the elder started towards them. The kitchen was quiet when he came close, causing him to frown and also feel a sense of relief. Pogue and Caleb were in the same room together and there were no sounds of resistance or any feelings of unease in the air. It was a small gift but it was one he was grateful for. When he entered the open doorway he saw Pogue sitting at the small table in the corner of the room, pale and staring intently at the table's surface. Caleb was across the small space near the counter, opening the wooden cupboards and scanning through them. After a moment, the older boy sensed his presence and turned his head.

"I don't suppose you have anything that can pass for food around here."

Gorman couldn't help his slight grin. "I'm afraid not, at least, nothing either the two of you would consider eatable."

"Course not." Pogue mumbled softly.

Gorman eyed the long haired boy for a long minute before taking a deep breath and turning towards Caleb. No doubt, this was going to be the hardest moment he'd ever had to face in his long life.

"Caleb, I need you to do something for me."

The older boy blinked, but straightened to his full height at the request. "What?"

The sight warmed Gorman's heart. Caleb always took his responsibility as the eldest to heart, always ready to defend and protect, always ready to follow orders.

"Go get Reid and Tyler and take them to your house. Your mother requested for the four of you to stay at the estate for a few days."

This caused Pogue to finally raise his head. "Why?"

Gorman moved his eyes between the two of them. "I feel the four of you need to spend some time together. No doubt this past month has been hard on all of you, and Evelyn has offered her hospitality."

Pogue's sharp eyes held his stare. "I'm fine right here, thanks."

"Pogue, you should be with your brothers. You've spent too much time and put far too much effort into avoiding them."

A string of emotions flickered inside of Gorman's head, coming from Caleb's direction, surprise, confusion but the strongest of all was guilt. This caused Gorman to blink owlishly and spare a small glance in Caleb's direction before returning his eyes to the younger of the two.

Pogue stared hard at his face, stared and stared for several long seconds. He could feel the empath's powers lightly reaching for his, searching for the alerter motives in the request but he remained firm in his stance and kept his emotions under control. This seemed to frustrate the teen and Pogue withdrew his powers bitterly.

"No, I'm staying here."

Gorman had to bit his lip in order to keep his groan silent. Damn that stubborn boy.

"Pogue." He forced out, sighing deeply. "For once please, just do as I ask."

He held the teen's gaze; staring right into the heart of the unnatural cold, blue gems until Pogue was forced to yield.

"Fine."

Gorman's chest filled with relief. "Good. I'll call the school and have Reid and Tyler readied for you."

He turned quickly and strolled to the hall once more, wanting to avoid any questions either of the teenagers might have. He needed them gone, now, the further they were away from him the better.

_:::He's lying to you.:::_

Outside of the kitchen Gorman froze. A voice tickled at the back of his mind and ear like tiny gust of wind. It was faint, strained sounding like an echo of some sort, but never the less, it was _there. _What was worse, the voice had traces of Pogue's presence lingering around it but it wasn't the empath's voice that he had heard inside of his head. It was someone else's.

Gorman felt his eyes start to sting out of frustration. What had Pogue gotten himself into?

His fingers gripped the handle of his cane tightly as he made his way back to his study. He didn't leave the room at all for the rest of the day. Not even when he heard Caleb's voice ushering a reluctant Pogue out the front door or when he heard the sound of Caleb's mustang backing out of the gravel onto the main road.

He was doing this for his godchildren. He wouldn't let them suffer for his mistakes.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Pogue's shoulders were coiled tight with tension as he watched the green scenery of the woods pass by the car window. The air inside of the mustang was crawling with tension and nether covenant member could bring themselves to break it.

_That old man is hiding something from you._

Pogue couldn't help his sigh. (You're still here?)

_Unfortunately. _Chase replied, sounding almost as bitter as Pogue felt. _Gorman's hiding something from you._

(No shit. Wouldn't be the first time.)

_He does it often? That's sad. After everything you've done._

Pogue rolled his eyes and tuned Chase's voice out. He risked a glance at Caleb out of the corner of his eye. The older boy had a blank look on his face as he stared through the windshield at the road. His fingers were gripping the steering wheel tight enough for his knuckles to be bone white.

This was going to be a long day, no doubt about it.

Pogue eyed the scenery once more, wanting to lose himself within the sea of green pine. When the trees gave way to old bricked buildings Caleb nervously cleared his throat.

"Do you need clothes or anything?"

Pogue dropped his gaze to his knee and thought for a moment. "Yeah, there's a few other things I need to get from my place."

He saw Caleb nod out of the corner of his eye.

"Ok, where's your place at?"

"Turn off near the pharmacy and onto Fifth." Pogue replied before he could stop himself.

He cursed himself mentally, the last thing he wanted was for Caleb to know where he lived— he had to practically beg for Reid and Tyler to keep their mouths shut during the past month. Now he wouldn't have anywhere to hide or to escape to when things got worse and no doubt they would when the coming months started to whittle down and the tattoo started to claim more and more of his body. Then there was the little annoyance currently residing in the back of his mind to worry about as well.

_I heard that. Asshole._

(Bite me.)

Chase huffed in annoyance and retreated to the smaller corner of the empath's head he had recently claimed. Pogue fought against the urge to lash to mentally pummel the bastard, remembering the all too unpleasant feeling of the air dying inside of his throat and his strength slipping through his fingers like drops of water. It wasn't an experience he wanted to relive any time soon.

The mustang slowly rolled to stop a few minutes later. Pogue eyed his apartment building coldly, debating if he enjoyed his current living conditions enough to remain there or move to another building, one unknown by his brothers.

He could feel Caleb's dark eyes staring at his face and with a resigned sigh Pogue unclipped his seatbelt and slid out of the car. His ears picked up the sound of the driver's side door opening and slamming shut, forcing him to groan. Was it too much to ask for Caleb to stay in the car for a few minutes? The older boy's footsteps shadowed his as they made their to the front of the building and Pogue had to use a great amount of restrained in order to keep from looking over his shoulder to gage Caleb's distance.

The walk to his door was nerve raking and seamed much longer than usual with Caleb trailing him. He briefly considered stopping near a random door or stair case but eventually dismissed the thought upon realizing it wouldn't do much good. He seriously doubted that Caleb would let him out of his sight anytime soon. He was stuck with older boy; there was no way around it.

Reaching up into the nook above the door, Pogue retrieved his spare key and unlocked the door to his apartment. He entered the dark and stale living room, not bothering to hold the door open for Caleb or shut it behind him. Forcing himself forwards, Pogue headed for his bedroom, leaving Caleb behind in the dark living room.

He didn't exercise much energy packing, he grabbed the first duffle bag he could find in his closet and started shoving a few pairs of jeans and shirts into the bag. He paused when his eyes noticed the half empty bottle of vodka resting on his nightstand, wondering if he would be able to sneak that by Caleb. With a shrug, he wrapped a t-shirt around the bottle and carefully tucked it into the bag.

When he couldn't fit anymore clothing into the duffle he zipped it closed and slid the strap over his shoulder. The living room was no longer dark. Caleb had apparently turned on the lamp near the front door as well as the overheads in the kitchen.

The kitchen…fuck!

Hesitantly Pogue rounded the corner and poked his head into the kitchen. He immediately regretted it when he saw his friend's face. Caleb was leaning against the counter, his face hard and cold. Clutched between his long fingers was a bottle of vodka that Pogue had drained completely a few weeks prior.

Fuck, this wasn't going to end well.

"What's this?"

Caleb's voice was emotionless, like a parent's who had just caught their child red-handed. Pogue would have rolled his eyes at the metaphor but he was too busy cursing himself for letting Caleb enter his apartment. He should have remembered that he had souvenirs of his recently acquired hobby lying around.

"Caleb—" he breathed out a deep sigh, preparing to utter a long string of excuses but the older boy cut him off before he could even think of one.

"You're drinking?" The words were almost like an accusation as if he had committed an unforgiveable sin in the older son's eyes.

Once more, Pogue felt like rolling his eyes at the metaphor his mind had supplied. This was Caleb, there was no greater sin then drinking yourself into a coma nightly. Evelyn had successfully done it for years in front of the teen and Pogue was forced to watch as the light in Caleb's eyes dim a few shades as he took care of her.

"It's nothing Caleb."

He knew it was the wrong thing to say, god only knew how many times Caleb had probably heard that from his mother over the years, but that didn't stop the lump from growing in his throat when he saw the hurt and desperation in Caleb's brown eyes. A part of him felt absolutely horrible for putting it there.

"Don't you tell me it's 'nothing' Pogue— fuck, there's three bottles of this shit in the trash, two on the counter— how fucking long have you been doing this?"

"Caleb—"

"How long!" The older boy demanded, his voice rising.

Pogue lowered his head. "About a month."

Silence filled the small space. For what felt like a long period of time neither boy spoke. When he felt brave enough, Pogue risked a glance at Caleb through his bangs. The older boy was frozen, his mouth slightly open. God, Pogue wanted to kick himself for uttering out that answer. Why couldn't he have made up a lie, why couldn't have had lied about this whole fucking thing to begin with?

Why couldn't he stop hurting his best friend?

His head rose when he heard Caleb move. The dark haired boy had his back turned and Pogue could hear the water running in the sink as the bottle of alcohol was rinsed out. The silence was beginning to gnaw at his nerves so he wearily opened his mind, feeling for Caleb's emotions. Anger was the first thing he picked up on, red hot and bubbling, but when the emotion receded another, much stronger one, took its place; _fear_.

Caleb was afraid. Of what he could venture a few guesses but none of them were pleasant or things either of them wanted to (or could) remember. After all, to two of them couldn't even be in the same room for longer than a few minutes before something regarding the past seven months got in the way.

Pogue wanted to scream. Caleb was always like an older brother to him. He was the only one Pogue could ever talk to, the only one who would listen and understand.. He was the one who pieced the empath together after the fatal crash that took his parents from him. Caleb was one who stayed up with him on those nights when the dreams of his parents became too much for him to handle alone.. How did they come to this?

He knew the answer to his question. Growling mentally, he prodded Chase's presence.

(Are you happy now? See what you've done.)

The presence didn't reply back but he knew, _fucking knew_, that Chase was listening.

Controlling himself, Pogue slowly approached Caleb's side. He felt like he should do something like clear his throat or place a hand on Caleb's shoulder for comfort but he couldn't bring himself to do any of those things. Instead he placed his hands on the counter near the sink and sighed deeply.

"I've been sober for a week Caleb." Technically six days but he figured stretching the truth wouldn't hurt in this situation. "I'm not a drunk, and the only reason I keep that shit around is—"

"What happened?"

Caleb's voice was small and his eyes were tilted down towards the sink. His face was almost hidden from the empath's view by his shoulders as he leaned against the sink. Pogue's chest tightened painfully from the sight..

"What do you mean?" The long haired teen asked, resigning himself to the conversation he knew was coming.

"What happened between you and me?"

"Nothing."

"Pogue, what did I do?"

Pogue instantly felt like he had been hit in the stomach. "What?

Caleb pushed himself away from the counter and straightened to his full height. His eyes were dark and watery but the discomfort and pain in his voice rooted the empath to the spot.

"You've been avoiding me; whenever we're in the same room together you look like you want to run for the hills and…" Caleb sighed and turned his head, looking Pogue dead in the eye. "You flinch every time I come near you."

The words completely took the empath by surprise. In all honestly Pogue was expecting Caleb's question to venture off into a different, less stressful direction, but not this one. Was he really that obvious around Caleb?

"You didn't do anything."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying Caleb, _you_ didn't do anything." The empath replied and then lowered his voice into a whisper. "I did."

The older boy slowly turned his head and gave him a confused look. Pain and desperation were still lurking in the depths of his eyes and Pogue forced himself to look away before the sight could break him.

"Can we just leave already?"

Caleb hung his head and sighed deeply. "Yeah."

Pogue waited for Caleb to turn and walk forward a few strides before following him. He tried to close his mind off to the older boy's emotions but they were far too persistent. Caleb's distress and confusion swirled in the air around him, viciously biting at his mind. He locked the front door behind him and shoved the key into a pocket inside of his duffle, not knowing or caring about when or if he returned.

Chase stirred slightly as they approached the mustang but he retrained his silence so Pogue ignored him as he shoved the duffle into the backseat of the mustang and climbed into the front. Caleb's eyes were looking forward when he shut the door. The dark brown gems didn't once glance his way as the car pulled away from the curb and onto the street.

--------------------------

"There you are."

Tyler jumped when Reid's arm snaked around his shoulders and dropped the book he was holding. "Jesus Reid."

"'m sorry Ty." The blond mumbled. "You're been really jumpy lately, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Reid cocked an eyebrow. "Right."

"I'm serious." Tyler replied and turned away.

"Ty." Tyler felt the other side of his bed dip as Reid sat down. "I know something's wrong. You're not sleeping, you're always jumpy, hell you haven't left the room since yesterday morning."

"I don't have class until Tuesday."

Reid's voice darkened. "Tyler."

The youngest flinched at the tone and lowered his head, staring intently at the bedding underneath his legs. Reid's words were true; he couldn't find the courage to leave their room for the past few days. No matter where he went, he always felt like he was being followed or watched by a pair of eerily blue eyes. It was starting to seriously gnaw at his nerves, he was jumpy and sleep was becoming hard to come by because those eyes were haunting his dreams nightly. And yet…it was strange, whenever he saw those eyes his chest tightened and his stomach started to flutter with warmth. A part of him longed to see those eyes every night and he couldn't figure out why. He didn't even know the name of the man they belonged to.

"Ty."

This time Reid's voice was soft as the blond moved closer. His warm breath causing goose bumps to appear once Tyler's neck.

"Nightmares." Tyler mumbled softly, hoping by some miracle Reid wouldn't hear him.

Unfortunately, Reid heard it, loud and clear.

"You've been having—" Reid sighed and wrapped his arms around Tyler's chest. "About what happened on your birthday?"

"No, it's something else."

He regretted saying it the second the words left his mouth. He didn't want Reid to worry and more importantly he didn't want the other boy to fuss over him. Reid was the worst kind of mother hen you could ask for.

"What?" Reid waited and sighed after a minute had gone by. "Tyler, you can tell me anything."

"It's- it's nothing Reid." Tyler murmured, his confidence fading quickly. "Like I said, it's just some weird dreams."

The blond made a frustrated sound behind him but tightened his hold around the youngest covenant member. "Fine."

"I love you."

"I know Ty."

Reid's tone was flat and emotionless. It cut straight to Tyler's heart, forcing him to drop his head. He was hurting Reid with his silence but there wasn't much he could do. How could he possibly explain that he'd been having very vivid dreams about someone else and seeing that strange face every time he closed his eyes or looked in the mirror to Reid without the blond looking at him like he was crazy?

Reid's arms lowered down to his waste and Tyler felt like sighing in relief. This was good opportunity to change the conversation and steer to towards better grounds. He moved his fingers downward and twined them around Reid's hand, pulling it closer.

Reid quickly got the hint- after all it was firm knowledge that Reid Garwin always had sex on his mind- and drew Tyler closer. Kisses were soon pressed against the younger boy's neck, making Tyler sigh happily and turn in Reid's arms. Sex was something he was starting to crave more and more each day. Whenever Reid's hands touched him, all thoughts disappeared. When their bodies were close, only the contact and Reid's soft mutters mattered, nothing else.

He could always loose himself in Reid's touches.

Fingers danced under his shirt and brushed against his bare stomach. He leaned back, letting his back fall to the bed as Reid moved over him. The kisses were soft and sweet, just how Tyler loved them. Just as Reid was tugging the shirt over his head, a tiny musical tone started ringing inside their dorm.

Reid paused, his mouth hovering an inch above Tyler's neck for a few seconds before glancing at the cell phone rattling on the nightstand near the bed. With a shrug, Reid decided to ignore the phone and nipped at the younger boy's neck, drawing a soft moan from his lover.

Tyler writhed under him, clawing at Reid's shoulders and wrapping his legs around the boy's hips. Reid was warm; he was always warm and _solid_. It was what he needed, he wanted to feel and be wanted.

The phone rang again, making the nightstand and part of the bed shake from its vibrating. Reid ignored the contraption for as long as he could but eventually the musical chime treaded on his final nerve and he rolled away from Tyler with a sigh.

Fumbling towards the nightstand, Reid grabbed the phone and answered it with a growl. "What?"

Tyler sighed and let his head fall back. Reid grumbled into the phone for about a minute before ending the call and tossing the phone across the room in anger.

"Cockblocker."

"What's wrong?" Tyler asked as he sat up.

"Caleb wants us to meet him outside in a few minutes."

"Why?"

"Hell if I know." The blond growled as he rolled off the end of the bed and grabbed one of their gym bags. "Start packing some clothes."

"Where we going?"

"I don't know, the asshole didn't say."

Any further arguments Tyler had quickly faded when he heard the venom in Reid's voice. He reluctantly rolled off the bed and started gathering clothes. When their duffle was full, Tyler dressed himself in some clean clothes and waited near the door for Reid. The blonde's face was angry and in a full pout. He slung the strap of the duffle over his shoulder and stomped childishly to the door. Tyler almost felt like laughing when Reid kept up the act as they headed towards the stairs after locking the door to their room.

Caleb's mustang was visible through the muti-storied window of the dorm's lobby. Two figures were leaning against the car's side, one was Caleb and Tyler felt excitement stir inside of him when he recognized the other as Pogue. He hadn't seen the empath in nearly a month. The phone calls weren't nearly enough to keep him from worrying about his friend and now seeing him standing near Caleb both relived and unsettled him. If both Pogue and Caleb were here waiting for them then that could only mean one thing, something was wrong.

Reid opened the front door with a hard kick of his foot, making both of the men near the car jerk their heads up in surprise. Tyler followed him outside in the chilly morning air, wrapping his arms around himself to preserve some heat.

Reid's tempter reared its head after a few steps. "What the hell man?"

As usual, Caleb didn't seem the least bit phased by the blonde's attitude. "Just get in the car Reid."

"Where the fuck are we going?"

"Caleb's house." Pogue replied evenly.

"Why?"

"Reid, just get in the car."

Reid lowered his head and swore softly. "You two are back to normal I see."

With a glare, Reid yanked the passenger's side door open and climbed into the back seat. Tyler took a few steps towards the car, stopping near Pogue. A shiver went through his body when Pogue raised his head, his chilling blue eyes staring right into Tyler's face. The younger boy felt his breath catch in his throat slightly; those eyes looked identical to the ones that had haunted his dreams. He willed those emotions away a moment later and forced a smile to his face.

"Hey."

Pogue's eyes grew soft. "Hey baby boy.."

The long haired boy hesitantly held his arms out and Tyler happily moved forward into the hug. He missed Pogue, he missed the bond the four of them had and how close they had been before things got so twisted.

"We missed you." He whispered softly as he pulled away, giving Pogue one more soft smile before climbing into the car's back seat.

He settled next to Reid, briefly bumping the blonde's hand with his own. Reid moved his hand under the bag resting between the two of them and joined their fingers. Tyler appreciated the meaning of the small act, even though Pogue already knew about their relationship nether one of them thought about telling Caleb about it yet and now didn't seem like a good time.

Pogue and Caleb climbed into the car a moment later. Tyler couldn't help but notice the tense silence that seemed to linger in the air between the two of them. Caleb started the car without a word and put the vehicle in gear. The mustang pulled away from the curb smoothly and the silence inside the car's cabin remained constant as it wove its way through town.

----------------------------

Pogue felt a cold pit of dread coil inside of his stomach when the Danvers' house came into view.

The mansion hadn't changed much since the last time he had visited it, nearly a month and a half ago. The driveway was still paved with dark gravel and littered with bright green trees; the small pond near the front door glistened from the afternoon sunlight and reflected an almost identical copy of the front of the house on its face.

The mustang slowed to a stop near the front doors and Caleb silenced the engine with a turn of a key. The eldest son sighed deeply and turned his head, his gaze lingering on Pogue for half a second before he fully turned around in his seat to face Reid and Tyler.

"We're all going to stay here for a few days, ok?"

Reid crossed his arms. "And why is that?"

"I don't know." Caleb replied honestly. "But Gorman insisted."

Confusion from both Reid and Tyler touched Pogue's mind, forcing the empath to sigh mentally. The next few days were going to be interesting. Wearily, Pogue felt around inside of his head for Chase. The bastard had been completely silent for most of the morning and he was beginning to worry. Well, not worry, grow suspsious. Chase's presence felt weak and had felt that way since Pogue first discovered the fucker but he didn't let that thought comfort him. There was no telling what Chase was capable of doing…or controlling.

He wouldn't let that fucker control him, oh hell no. he'd gladly kill himself first.

He prodded around his head a bit more and finally felt the core of what remained of Chase. There was no thought pattern or emotions emitting from it. In fact it felt like Chase was sleeping or doing something similar in nature. Son of a bitch.

"You gonna let us out sometime today Pogue?"

Pogue blinked and was brought back to reality when he felt someone nudge the back of his seat. He quickly shook himself out of his daze and climbed out of the car. He held the door open for Reid and Tyler as the two of them crawled out of the back and stretched.

After a moment, Pogue could feel Reid's eyes staring at him. "So what's this really about?"

Pogue shrugged lightly, faking innocence. "Wish I knew, Gorman just told us to come here."

"Why?"

"I don't know Reid."

Pogue retrieved his own bag from the mustang's trunk and pulled the strap over his shoulder. He glanced around for Caleb and located the older boy near the house's front doors, speaking with Evelyn who was standing on the front steps.

Pogue bit his lip and kept his eyes downcast as he made his way towards the two of them, falling into stride behind Reid and Tyler. The closer he came to the two Danvers' the stronger their emotions were. Caleb's were easily recognizable but Evelyn's made his feet freeze in mid stride. She was worried, her concern and unease was almost as over powering as Reid and Tyler's. Never the less, Caleb's mother quickly composed herself when the three of them came close.

Evelyn smiled motherly at Reid and Tyler and hugged both of them tight. When she saw Pogue standing an arm's length away, she froze. Anger poured from her petite frame but her face seemed relaxed, giving Pogue the impression she was trying –and failing— to suppress the emotion or to hide it.

Great. It was nice to know he was somewhere where he wasn't wanted.

He moved away from her before she could muster up the courage to offer him a hug and strolled bitterly through the open doors. The inside of the house was warm and well lit. The enterer had been thoroughly dusted since his last visit here –where he found the house completely dark and abandoned with a possessed Caleb awaiting him— and all the broken lights had been replaced.

"I've made the guest room ready for you three." Evenyln said as she closed the door behind them.

Tyler nodded his thanks. "Thanks Mrs. Danvers."

"You're welcome Tyler." Evelyn nodded politely. "If you boys will excuse me I have some things to tend you. Caleb, can you show them where the room is?"

"We know where it is." Reid sighed loudly as he made his way towards the staircase.

Evelyn eyed Reid briefly before sighing softly. "Right. There's always the den on the first floor and Wil—the office on the second if you boys don't want to share."

Tyler was the only one who thanked her before she left the room. The younger boy soon made his way up the stairs and Pogue reluctantly followed, dragging his feet. He really didn't want to be here, be this close to Caleb and his mother who was sending anger vibes his way every few seconds. He didn't want to be at the colony house either but the old, rickidy pile of wood was better than being at his apartment alone and Gorman was always tolerable company. The old man kept his distance at least and gave the empath some much needed privacy.

But here, in the Danvers' home, Pogue doubted he'd get anything remotely related to privacy.

Caleb didn't follow behind him and Pogue was grateful about it. He couldn't tolerate being in the older boy's presence anymore, it was too hard and with Caleb's dark eyes constantly looking at his face, searching for some unknown thing or answer there was only so much the empath could take. It was pure torture being that close to Caleb and not reaching out to touch.

He strolled right on by the room Reid and Tyler stopped at and headed towards the office he knew lay at the end of the hall.

Tyler's head rose. "Where are you going?"

"I figured I'd give you two your own room."

"It's big enough for the three of us." Tyler replied softly.

"Not with the two of you going at it like rabbits all night." Pogue shot over his shoulder and laughed briskly when he saw the stunned looks on both of their faces. "What, you think I wouldn't feel _that_ when Caleb called you two down?"

"You're an ass." Tyler replied, his cheeks slightly pink as he stepped into the room he and Reid would be sharing.

Reid followed behind him, giving Pogue a wink before he shut the door. "We'll try to be quiet."

"Sure."

Pogue's smile faded when he reached the door at the end of the hall. After a moment, he turned the brass handle and pushed it open. William's office was large and richly furnished. A cluster of book shelves lined the left wall of the room, complete with a cream colored corner sofa tucked into the nook between two shelves. A cherry wood desk sat in its center, its surface recently dusted and cleaned. The whole room was dust free but the air was still stale.

He tossed his bag on the floor near the couch and sat down. This was not going to be a pleasant stay for him. He wanted to throttle Gorman for making him do this. He didn't belong here, here in the comfort and safety of Caleb's home with his brothers, not after what he had done. He didn't belong anywhere near Caleb, period.

Running a hand over his face and through his hair, Pogue glanced at his duffle, remembering what he carefully tucked away inside of it. With a sigh, he pulled the bag closer and unzipped it.

_A bit early to be hitting the bottle don't you think?_

(You're still here I see. I guess I got my hopes up for nothing.)

He unwrapped the shirt from around the bottle of the clear alcohol and twisted the cap off. A few sips were all he needed to get his head in order, and to shut Chase's annoying voice up. The vodka burned his throat as it rolled down, warming his stomach and his fingers. The numbness settling in his limbs felt good and he shoved the bottle bag into his bag before sinking heavily onto the couch cushions.

Alcohol was a godsend sometimes.


	11. Chapter 11

My bad for not updating for a long ass time, internet problems. I'm back now with 2 new chapters for ye all.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Faces swam before his closed eyes, their voices twisting and contorting into unbearable cries and shrieks.

"—_what have you done?—"_

"—_monster! Burn the monster—"_

"—_please don't leave me. Don't leave me alone—"_

"—_dammit John, don't make me do this—"_

"—_monster!—"_

"—_don't leave me behind—"_

Putnam jerked awake, blinking his eyes. The voices screaming inside of his mind silenced the moment the weather-beaten walls of his cabin focused around him.

His heart hammered inside of the confines of his chest and hesitantly, he raised a hand and pressed his palm against his chest. He had a heartbeat, for the first time in centuries he could feel a soft thumping under his finger tips. How wonderful.

Rising to his feet, Putnam stretched his cramped limbs. Every sore limb and pinched nerve was a blessing to a man who had long forgotten what the simplest of sensations felt like. The long rest had done him good. He was no longer cold or weak, he felt restored, whole.

Once he was comfortable, John raised an arm and glanced down at his hands. His skin was still pale looking but it had developed a little color and was no longer chalk white. His gaze slowly continued down the length of his arm. The robe he wore was tattered and dust ridden from sleeping on the soiled floor of his cabin. This wouldn't do.

Closing his eyes, Putnam let the power wash over his body like a wisp of wind. The matted cloth soon became a softer material that hugged his body tighter and blocked more of the chill circling in the air. When the power finished, he risked a glance down at himself. His new clothing was dark, his ideal choice, and more form fitting but he could still move and twist comfortably in it. Good, he wanted to look presentable when he paid his old friend a visit.

Satisfied, Putnam dropped his arm and walked to the front door which swung open with a light flick of his arm. Outside it was dark; the light from the full moon wasn't able to fully penetrate the sea of pine trees that bordered around his home. John inhaled deeply, enjoying the feel of the cold, pine scented air filling his lungs.

With a smile, he crossed the threshold and strolled into the forest. He was looking forwards to see Joseph once more; they had so much catching up to do.

* * *

A tremor curled through Pogue's stomach like a snake, forcing him awake. The dark shadows of William's study greeted him, along with the sounds of the evening wind wafting against the Danvers' house.

The beginnings of a migraine started throbbing against the side of his head and the empath moaned softly, burying his head between his arm and pillow. The moan soon turned into a loud hiss when a sharp sting slowly rolled down his spine. The arms of the blue tattoo curled and writhed down his spine for several intense seconds, their sting halting almost completely when their tips reached Pogue's hip.

As the pain passed, Pogue slumped boneless against the leather couch. Spots danced around his eyes as the sweat on his forehead and eyelids started to chill. Christ that tattoo was starting to hurt like a bitch.

_Oh don't worry, it gets worse._

Pogue frowned. (How the hell can it get any worse?)

_Wait until it reaches your eyes. _

Pogue couldn't help shivering at the thought. Sluggishly, he rolled off the side of the couch to his feet. Judging from the darkness of the room and the scenery outside of the windows he guessed it was sometime in the early morning. He was surprised he slept for so long; he had managed to spend most of the previous day kicking around in here and avoiding the rest of the inhabitants of the large house. He had skipped out on the dinner Evelyn had made as well and his stomach rumbled heavily at the memory.

He glanced at the brightly lit digital clock on the wall above William's desk; 4:30 a.m. Maybe if he hurried he could get a snack and watch some TV before anyone got up.? Anything that got him out of this room for a few hours sounded good.

Opening his mind, Pogue felt around the house for its residences. All four presences were sound asleep, perfect. After stretching out the kinks in his back, Pogue opened the door to the study and entered the hall. The house was silent, his bare feet padding against the aged wood providing the only sound his ears could detect.

A small light in the kitchen was lit and Pogue followed its illuminating trail down the hall. He spent the next few minutes poking around the cupboards before moving to the fridge. A plate of food was covered in saran wrap was on the second shelf and he assumed it was his portion of the dinner he skipped out on earlier. He pulled it from the fridge and tore the wrapping off, his stomach rumbling happily at the smell of the cold chicken.

Feeling too lazy to use the microwave, he carried the cold plate into the large living area of the house and plopped heavily on the couch. The large TV flickered to life with a quick flash of his eyes, allowing the empath to lose himself in the low volume news program. He heard Chase make a board sound in the back of his mind before his presence drifted to its claimed corner of his mind. Rolling his eyes, the empath ignored him, grateful for of the lack of the bastard's company.

He ate in content silence for several minutes. When the news program reached the halfway mark, it began running the usual string of headlines on the bottom of the screen. Pogue's eyes immediately locked on second headline that floated by; _two adolescents found dead on outskirts of Old Dell Road_.

Pogue swallowed his mouthful of food with a painful irk . Old Dell Road, that was the old gravel path that ran by Putnam barn, or what was left of it. A cold pit of dread settled inside of Pogue's stomach. He prodded Chase's presence with his mind, wanting answers to the questions that were building.

_Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking._

(Putnam killed them? When?)

_Chase paused, obviously thinking hard. About a week ago, maybe more._

(You saw him do this?)

_Yep._

Pogue growled and bit his lip. (And you're telling me this now!?)

_Didn't remember until now._

Pogue growled once more and got to his feet. Shit, Gorman needed to know about this. That was near the colony house for Christ's sake.

He hot-footed it into the den in search of the phone resting on the stand near the fireplace and pulled it off its handle. His fingers quickly dialed the number to the colony house and then tapped themselves against the small table's surface impatiently. The line rang five times before going dead and beeping. Fuck.

He tried again and again. After the fifth time, Pogue slammed the receiver down on the nook and ran a hand through his hair. Fuck, fuck, fuck, this wasn't good. Even if Gorman was avoiding him he still wouldn't have gone far enough to disconnect the phone. Something was wrong; every fiber of Pogue's being was screaming it.

Taking a few deep breaths, Pogue composed himself. First thing he needed to do was get out there. Even if nothing was wrong with the elder, Gorman still needed to know about the murders. The problem was Pogue needed a car to get out there. His bike was out of the question and Tyler didn't get a chance to bring the Hummer with him yesterday.

Shit.

Shaking his head, Pogue weighed his options. There were cars around here, four in the garage and Caleb's mustang sitting out front in the circular driveway; he just needed to get creative in order to get one. Setting his resolve, Pogue marched to the front of the Danvers' house. The morning chill hit him hard when he opened the front door and he paused his stride momentarily to look for a jacket of some kind. He found one, obviously one of Caleb's designer ones, and pulled it over his shoulders without a second thought.

He needed to get to Gorman. The Power was calling him to the colony house and he was not going to fight against it.

* * *

"_You're a very special boy John, do you know that?"_

_The twelve year old he was looking down on blinked his pale blue eyes. "I am?"_

"_Yes." Gorman nodded, his fingers lightly lacing themselves together. "You were the only survivor of theat vessel that landed in Mane over a month ago, correct?"_

_The boy's shoulders tensed. "How'd you know about that?"_

"_I have my ways of knowing John."_

_The boy was obviously suspicious. "How?"_

_Gorman's lips pulled themselves into a light grin. "The Power told me John. I know all about you."_

"_You do?"_

_The lad's lower lip trembled slightly. The boy was skinny and sickly looking, his skin ungodly pale and carried no flush of color anywhere Gorman could see. His hair was cut unevenly and matted to his sweaty forehead. A large cut that covered the length of his left cheek had long since scabbed over but was still very red and angry looking. Behind the youth's less than ideal appearance, Gorman could feel a limitless ocean of power coursing through the small body; stronger then himself and the rest of his newly formed covenant. _

_Yes, this boy was something special._

"_You're very strong John, stronger than anyone else I've ever felt. I'm sure you're aware of how different you are from other people."_

_He watched with silent satisfaction when the boy's eyes darkened aswhen he heard the word 'different'. He pressed further._

"_Have you ever done anything strange John? Anything that was unexplainable?"_

_He watched his mild curiosity as the boy slowly raised a hand to his cheek, lightly feeling the scar adorning his skin. "Sometimes… sometimes I can, do things."_

"_What kind of things?"_

"_Move things with my mind, make people hurt." The boy mumbled, still rubbing his cheek._

_Gorman was slightly taken back by the answer. "You've made people hurt before?"_

"_Yes."_

"_John, you shouldn't hurt people."_

"_She hurt me first." John spat in defense. _

_Disturbed by the boy's answer, Gorman drew silent for several moments. There was a small trace of trumpet and glee in the boy's eyes. He was obviously proud of what he had done and who he had hurt. It was a disturbing sight to say the least, thinking that one so small and young would take pride in harming another human being. He couldn't leave this boy on his own, not like this. God only knew what else the child would do._

Gorman's eyes opened when he felt a slight throbbing above his left eye. Groaning, he lifted a wrinkled hand and lightly rubbed at the pain. Old memories always left a terrible headache behind, especially the dreams regarding one particular covenant member.

The colony house was darker than usual. The only source of light was the candle flame flickering in the middle of the dining table the elder sat at, the white stick was burnt halfway down its length. It had been at its full length when he first let his eyes drift closed hours ago.

Gorman's shoulders straightened as he felt an all too familiar presence brush against his mind; he wasn't alone. His shoulders grew tense and a cold weight grew inside of his stomach. His fingers didn't shake but they held the handle of his cane in a tight grip as he slowly eased out of his chair. His legs felt like lead as he followed the presence to the front of his house.

A dark shadow stood in the open doorway in the foyer. Even without seeing the man's face, Gorman knew instantly who it was. There was no escaping the heavy slithering feeling of The Power circling around the two of them.

Putnam's eyes were as cold as the morning air. "I've come home Joseph."

Gorman felt a chill roll down his spine. Fear rattled around inside of his chest but he forced himself to stomp it down. It wouldn't do him any good.

"You are not welcome here John."

The bright blue eyes narrowed. "That's not very brotherly Joseph."

Gorman couldn't help but feel edgy. The fight wouldn't be fair, he wasn't anywhere near his prime while John hadn't aged a day since his death. The strength of their multiple shares of power weren't even matched.

Never the less, Gorman refused to back down. He knew this day would come eventually. John was too prideful to let the grudge of who caused his death go.

"You are not welcome here." Gorman repeated once more, slamming his cane against the wooden floor. "I cast you out for a reason."

"Jealousy is not a sensible reason."

Anger boiled inside of Gorman. "Not jealousy, greed. You wanted too much of the power, more then you deserved or could control."

"What I wanted, Joseph, was what you promised me." Putnam sneered. "I wanted to reach my full potential—"

"I promised I would teach you, you just wanted it too fast—"

"I wanted my brothers! I wanted Emanuel, Thomas and Jacob! I wanted to be strong like them!" John shouted, his powers shaking the floorboards in anger. "And you took me away from them."

"You frightened them John! You frightened all of us with your obsession. You—"

Gorman was cut off as a strong force of Putnam's powers knocked him off his feet. He fell back against the wall with a loud thud, his head ringing from the hard impact. Putnam's footfalls circled around him.

"Do you know what it's like to be cut off from everything you love and know Joseph? Do you know what it's like to be completely alone for ten years? Three hundred years!?" Putnam's feet stopped near Gorman's left. "It's hell."

A powerful blow hit Gorman's left side, obviously from John's foot. If he wasn't in pain Gorman would have been amazed Putnam was strong enough to harm him physically.

"Three hundred years Joseph, three hundred years of being chained in darkness and having my mind torn apart by dark things I could never see. Three hundred years reliving the day my whole world was taken from me." John kicked hard once more and growled. "All because of YOU!?"

Another kick followed and another. Gorman groaned and curled into himself. This angered Putnam further.

"Get up."

Gorman didn't move.

"I said, get up, old man."

Gorman raised his head, his ancient eyes burning.

"Get up." John snarled once more.

"No."

Putnam's shoulders coiled together. "Get. Up."

"I will not fight you John." Gorman replied in an even voice.

He couldn't, he couldn't bring himself to hurt the man in front of him again. Putnam's face was hard and empty of all emotion except anger, but no matter how hard he tried, Gorman wouldn't get the image of the thin, pale child he had found wondering the docks all those years ago. The boy he had raised like a son and a younger brother all in one. The boy who grew into the hard, bitter man that currently loomed over him like a predator waiting for the right time to kill his prey.

The sight hurt more than the pain did.

"You won't fight me?" Putnam raised an eyebrow and frowned when Gorman nodded. "Fine. It won't change anything."

Gorman knew it wouldn't but it didn't matter. He tried not to shiver when he saw John slowly raise one hand and hold it a few inches away from his face.

"This is for taking Danny away from me."

With a cruel, satisfied smile, Putnam forced his powers into the elder's mind. His smile increased when Gorman let out a blood curling scream.

* * *

_You are really bad at hot wiring, you know that?_

(Shut up.) Pogue grumbled as he twisted the colored wires between his fingers.

One of the exposed tips sparked but didn't do much else, forcing the empath to swear loudly and stomp his foot in anger.

_You suck._

(No, the goddamn car sucks.)

_Then steal another one._

Pogue ignored him. The only other car in working condition was Caleb's mustang and, well, the thought of stealing Caleb's _baby_ felt wrong. On the other hand, stealing Evelyn's prized Mercedes was too good for him to pass up. The only problem was the stupid anti-theft system programmed into the dash.

_Here's a thought, use your powers genius._

(It didn't work the first time what makes you think it'll work now?)

_Then try harder moron._

(I'm not taking off five years of my life to start one damn car.)

_What's it matter, you're gonna be dead in less than ten months anyway?_

The remark made Pogue's hand freeze momentarily but he soon forced them back to work. After a quick spark, he felt the Mercedes hum to life under him. Feeling smug, he gave Chase's presence a hard poke. When he twisted the knob to turn the headlights on, he was greeted with the sight of someone standing in front of the hood.

"Shit."

Caleb stood near the mouth of the garage, hair slightly tussled and his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in a pair of dark sweats and a grey tank. The sight would have been laughable, or in Pogue's case worth a long look over, where it not for the hard look on Caleb's face.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Pogue slowly opened the driver's door and leaned out of the car.

"Where the hell are you going?" Caleb asked.

The empath sighed heavily. He could lie but what was the point? Lying to Caleb was like trying to lie to a cop. No matter what he said, he knew the older boy would see through it.

"The colony house."

"Why?"

"Because." Pogue dropped his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Because… I just need to talk to Gorman, alright."

His voice was strained and edgy as he spoke, making Caleb's resolve drop almost immediately.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing I just…" Pogue bit his lip and sighed. What was the point in lying when Caleb could see right through him? "I don't know. Something's wrong, I can feel it."

Caleb met his gaze, those all too familiar brown gems stared at his face for several moments before the older boy let his shoulders drop. With a slight shake of his head, Caleb strolled to the passenger's side door.

"What are you doing?" Pogue asked, watching his moments.

"What's it look like, I'm going with you."

"Caleb—" He cut off when the older boy gave him a cold look as he climbed into the passenger's seat.

The door slammed shut behind him and Pogue stared at the hood of the car in a daze before slowly sliding back into the driver's seat. Caleb's emotions came in thick waves, anger, frustration, irritation. All of them tugged at heavily Pogue's heart.

"Caleb—"

"Drive."

The word was more of a hiss then an order. The empath shrank a few inches in his seat as he hesitantly put the car in gear. He could understand Caleb's anger and frustration, but it didn't make the feelings hurt his head any less. It hurt him in so many ways knowing he was the cause of all those feelings but it was unavoidable.

He wanted to tell someone about his dreams, about the tattoo that was slowly draining the life from him, and hell about Chase. Keeping all of these secrets to himself was driving him crazy he was dying to open up to someone but he couldn't do it to Caleb. If he opened up to the older boy, a tiny bit, he would have to come clean with everything that had happened in the past few months, everything.

He couldn't lie to Caleb. One pleading look from those dark eyes would undo every ounce of his control, making it impossible to keep the darker details hidden.

(Plus, Caleb's finally getting himself together after all this shit. He doesn't need to know how fucked up I am.)

Swallowing the growing lump in his throat, Pogue lightly pressed his foot on the accelerator and let the car silently crawl out of the garage and into the driveway.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"I'm disappointed in you Joseph." John Putnam murmured as he circled around his prey. "I expected more of a fight from you after all these years."

Gorman said nothing as he stared at the floor. Small droplets of blood stained the wood under his feet, dripping from both his lip and the cuts on his chest. The vision in his right was starting to fade as it slowly swelled shut. It hurt to breath and the inside of his chest burned every time he drew in a shaky breath. The only thing worse than the pain in his body was the emptiness inside of his head, Putnam's powers had torn through every memory and nerve they could locate. The back of his skull throbbed in time with every beat of blood that pumped through his veins.

Putnam was going to kill him, that much was damn sure at this point. The only question was how much longer he was going to put it off. Putnam's fingers slid under his chin and lifted his head.

"Still refuse to fight back?"

Gorman stared lifelessly at the man's face.

His silence only angered Putnam further.

"Why?" He growled when he didn't receive an answer. "Why won't you fight back!?"

"Because." Gorman rasped in a broken voice. "Because it's my fault, it's my fault you're like this John. I didn't help you."

Putnam's blue eyes narrowed. "I didn't need help."

"Yes, yes you did John; you were addicted to The Power. I saw what you were becoming and I did nothing to help you."

Gorman's eyes stung with unshed tears. Every word was true and filled with regret. Every time he closed his eyes he saw that frail little boy with dark hair who loved moving things with a wave of his arm or a jerk of his neck, the same little boy who always looked at him with adoration and admiration in his pale blue eyes.

The admission seamed to strike a chord somewhere in Putnam's resolve.

"I loved you the most, you know, out of all of them. You were like a father to me." Putnam's fingers tightened into a painful grip as he jerked Gorman's head back. "All I ever wanted was to make you proud." Putnam's mouth curved into a sneer. "Are you proud of me now Joseph?"

"I've always loved you John." Gorman replied honestly.

It was true; he loved all of his children. Every one of them made his life worth living and the greatest joy he had known was to watch them all grow into the strong men they were meant to be.

"I loved you the most." John repeated, his fingers trembling. "And you betrayed me."

"I did what I could John."

"You turned my brothers against me; you took The Power away from me. You _murdered_ me!"

"Yes, and that moment has haunted me ever since but you left me no choice."

"You speak like I'm some kind of monster."

Gorman inhaled deeply, feeling the burn inside of his chest. "You always were a monster John. I always hoped Danny would've been the thing that kept you human."

"He did, I loved being with him. I felt human for many years; I even stopped using my powers for a time." Putnam admitted, traces of his regret and longing touching Gorman's mind. "But then the townsfolk came."

"That wasn't my doing."

"You let them take me."

"I tried to save you John." Gorman whispered as he closed his eyes. No matter what he said, it wouldn't matter; John was too far gone in his anger, like he was that fateful night. "I tried, but you were beyond my help. I did what I could."

The emotions emitting from John became dark. "The moral hero killed the monster, how poetic."

"You were a danger to him." Gorman said, knowing how hard the meaning of the words would hit the man standing in front of him. "You killed half of the townsfolk John, how long would it have been until you harmed Danny?"

The elder couldn't help his grin when he felt Putnam's anger intensify tenfold. A strong wave of Putnam's powers threw him hard against the floor and pinned him against it.

"I would have never hurt him." Putnam growled as he moved back into Gorman's blurry vision. "I loved him."

The air inside the colony house grew thick with tension and rattled with John's anger. Gorman smirked inwardly, this was good. Because of his anger, John was over-using, he feel the strain in Putnam's powers and see the weariness in his eyes. He just needed to make John a little bit angrier.

"And yet he forgot all about you after that night." Gorman lied, wanting to dig the knife in deeper. "He grew into a fine, handsome man and married a beautiful woman who bore him a fine son. He never thought about you once during that time."

Another blow followed his words, this time to his head. When the stars disappeared, Putnam's foot came into view. It slammed against Gorman's mouth hard, drawing blood and shattering some teeth.

"If that's true." Putnam replied emotionless. "Then I'm glad he was happy. As for you—" His fingers clamped around a handful of Gorman's hair and pulled the elder's head and neck off the floor. "Give my regards to my brothers."

Putnam's eyes turned coal black as he circled his powers around the elder's wounded body and forced them inwards. Gorman screamed with what little strength he had left as his mind was being clawed apart by John's anger.

The world, his memories, everything was being cut free from its place and Gorman soon found himself surrounded in darkness, sinking deeper and deeper into a bottomless void. The only thing that followed behind him was a tiny memory of a small boy with pale blue eyes, looking lost in a sea of dark shadows.

* * *

"Fuck." Pogue yelped and gripped the sides of his head.

A white hot pain stabbed heavily at the spot above his left eye, forcing his eyes to snap closed in defense. He felt the car move under him but his hands weren't on the wheel. He managed to crack one eye open, hoping he wouldn't see the Mercedes' hood angling towards a tree. Much to his relief he saw Caleb's hand gripping the steering wheel and guiding the car to the side of the gravel road. His hand then gently eased Pogue's leg towards the brake and then put the vehicle into park when it stopped.

"What's wrong?"

Pogue bit his lip and kept his silence. His head was throbbing and the pain was making his eyes water behind their closed lids. God it felt like someone was pressing a red hot poker against his brain. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear Chase moaning in pain as well. Through the haze an image started to form inside of his mind, a face twisted and contorted in pain. At first Pogue thought it was his own and then later Chase's but when the image became clearer he recognized the wrinkled brow and the owlish eyes; Gorman.

Gorman was in trouble!

"Pogue look at me, Jesus, what's wrong?"

Caleb's voice grounded him and helped clear the fog inside of his head. The pain soon eased into a gentle throbbing and Pogue slowly opened his eyes. Caleb's face was the first thing he saw.

"Are you ok?"

Pogue shook his head in an attempt to clear it. As he did so his eyes noticed several wet spots on the neck of his shirt. Feeling something wet under his nose and on his chin, he whipped his finger near his lip. He was surprised to see dark smears of blood on their tips.

"Yeah, I—" Pogue groaned, lowering his hand. "Fuck, I don't know what the hell that was."

_I do._ Chase hummed from the back of his mind, sounding just as disoriented as Pogue felt. _It's Putnam and that old man._

The words froze Pogue to his very core. (What?)

_I'd know that presence anywhere. It's him!_

(Shit.)

Panting deeply, Pogue turned his head towards Caleb who, judging by the look on his face, was staring at the line of blood under Pogue's nose. Ignoring the pleading, concerned look in the older boy's eyes, Pogue lowered his head and cleared his throat.

"We need to get to the colony house, now."

"Why? What the hell's going on?"

"It's Gorman he's—arg—" Pogue yelped as another hot spark of power stabbed at his mind. "Fuck, we just need to get to there, now."

"Fine, move over." Caleb instructed as he wiggled around Pogue to the driver's seat.

Pogue crumpled into the passenger's side of the car, rubbing the side of his head with his fingers. He felt the car move under him but he didn't pay it much mind. Instead he focused on the energy and feelings in the air outside of the car. Whoever was using The Power was very strong and from the feel of it, no stranger to using dangerous amounts.

The traces of Power grew stronger the closer the car came to the colony house. When it slid to a swift stop at the old wooden gate south of the house, Pogue's skin was practically crawling from the feel of it.

Caleb must've felt something as well because his shoulders grew stiff. "That's not Gorman."

"No, it's not." Pogue whispered, eying the old house in front of them. "Its him alright."

Before Caleb could ask who 'he' was, Pogue was out of the car and cautiously making his way towards the open front door. Caleb followed behind him, keeping his footsteps light. Once inside the house Pogue felt his headache return at full force. _Anger, rage, hate_, the entire house was full of every negative emotion he could name. They sliced through his brain like razorblades, forcing the empath to close his eyes and summon all the mental energy he could in order to fight them off.

"Pogue!"

Caleb's fear wormed through the barriers and touched his mind but before the empath could react he found himself flung against the wall and pinned to it by an unseen force. Caleb hit the wall across from him with a thud, his brown eyes wide with confusion and looking at his best friend for answers.

A shadow with unnatural blue eyes soon materialized in the dark foyer.

"Hello, again."

"You." Pogue snarled, recognizing the face of the man standing an arm's length away.

"You're alive? It appears I underestimated you." John Putnam said, his eyes moving up and down Pogue's body.

Pogue growled deep in his chest in an attempt to hide the shiver caused from those eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Catching up with an old friend."

Pogue felt his stomach tighten. Gorman…

"Where's Gorman?"

"Who?" Putnam eyes blinked as a thought suddenly dawned on him. "Oh, is that the name he has chosen to answer to in this century?"

Questions grew inside Pogue's mind but he ignored them. "Where is he?"

The smugness on the man's face wasn't the least bit comforting.

"Which half?"

(No.)

In a panic, Pogue reached his powers outward, not caring if Putnam blocked him or used the opterunity to invade his mind. He felt a presence two rooms over but it was very faint, like it was slowly dieing.

(Gorman!)

"No…you fuck!"

Putnam's hand clasped around his throat, squeezing tight. Pogue gasped, struggling against the force that held him to the wall. Putnam's grip was hard and vice-like, no doubt he could easily crush the empath's throat if he tightened his fingers just that tiny bit.

An impacted knocked Putnam against him, loosing the elder's grip on his throat. Heaving for air, Pogue searched for the source of the blow and discovered Caleb standing behind Putnam, eyes black. His relief was short lived when he remembered just how powerful the man standing between them was.

"Caleb, don't—"

Too late. With a growl, Putnam straightened to his full height, dropping Pogue. The elder spun on his heel and waved his arm. A strong, unseen force grabbed Caleb by the throat and pulled him close.

Once the teen was in his grasp, Putnam frowned, recognizing the boy's face. "I remember you."

With a sneer, Putnam turned towards the empath who was still being held against the wall. He pulled Caleb in front of him, positioning the teen between himself and the empath. Pogue stiffened, Putnam had one hand held against the dark haired boys throat and the other slowly sliding down Caleb's chest.

"Yes, yes, I remember you. You feel a little different now that you're alive but that face is unforgettable." Putnam whispered, eying Pogue over Caleb's head. "You're the one he's killing himself for."

Pogue growled deep in his chest, eyes turning black. Putnam's lower lip curved into a cold smile when he felt Pogue's rage.

"Looking at you though, I can see why he was so eager to throw his life away." The elder purred as his hand brushed against Caleb's chest in a very physical way. "Nice, strong body."

Caleb's eyes turned dark as he squirmed away from the touch. Pogue anger boiled. How dare that fucker even… oh god, he was going to tear Putnam limb from limb.

"He doesn't like me touching you it seams." Putnam purred deeply into Caleb's neck.

Damn right he didn't. His rage growing, Pogue struggled against the force that held him against the wall. Putnam's powers were strong but they were also fading slowly. If he could just break the hold…

(Dammit Chase, can't you do anything?)

There was no reply to his question, the back of his mind was mute.

(Fucking hell, fine time to disappear, asshole.)

"Get the fuck off me!" Caleb growled, drawing Pogue's attention back towards the pair.

Putnam's cold eyes were staring right into the empath's face, waiting for a reaction. He got one, Pogue's eyes turned black and his anger started feeding into his powers. Putnam's smile widened, this boy was powerful. He just needed to feed that anger a bit more…

"He's going to die for you." The elder murmured into the dark haired boy's ear. "You mean that much to him, you know."

That did it. With a growl, Pogue's powers broke through Putnam's hold. Putnam was ready, he threw Caleb into the wall hard, a sickening crack followed as the boy's shoulder split from the impact. The empath charged after sparing a small look in his friend's direction and threw a wave of power. Putnam blocked the attack with a wave of his hand and retaliated with his own wave, sending the empath crashing into the wall next to Caleb. A wave of power smashed into the wall above his head, the impact splintering the wood. He rolled to the side ready to strike back but a large powerball hit him square in the chest. The impact sent his body straight through the wall and into the room behind it.

For several moments Pogue wasn't aware of what happened or where he was. When the stars stopped dancing around his eyes he was able to make out the wooden ceiling floating high above him. A shadow loomed over him, its blue eyes glittering in the settling dust.

"You continue to amaze me boy."

Pogue willed his body to move but his arms felt so heavy. He wasn't able to do anything more then blink as Putnam's hand once again clasped around his throat.

"Now be a good lad and show me what I want."

Before Pogue to prepare himself, Putnam's powers forced their way into his mind. The elder's grip around his throat tightened, holding him firmly in place as he tore and picked his way through memory after memory, finally stopping on a small one from the previous day. The memory showed the four of them, Caleb, Pogue, Reid and Tyler arriving at Caleb's house. More images followed but special attention was given to the ones were Tyler was present.

Putnam's powers retreated from his mind once they had their fill of the mental pictures. "Good boy."

With a cruel smile and a gentle pat to Pogue's forehead, the elder rose to his feet and strolled out of Pogue's line of vision, disappearing into the darkness of the house.

Pogue laid still, his eyes open but not focused. Another flash of pain soon crossed his senses, this time coming from his back, shoulders and arms. The tattoo was crawling across his skin at a grueling pace, burning like flames.

"Pogue?"

Caleb's voice was horse as it reached his ears but it was still wonderful to hear. He tried answering back but his throat hurt too much. Caleb found him amongst the rubble and gingerly dropped to his knees near Pogue's side. His left shoulder wasn't moving at all and was curled tightly against his stomach. Pogue's heart lurched at the sight.

"Pogue hang on, okay. I'm gonna get some help."

There was fear in Caleb's eyes and Pogue really didn't like the way the older boy kept glancing at his neck and shoulder.

"Gorman…" Pogue managed to croak out.

"I'm not leaving you."

"Gorman."

Caleb bit his lip and sighed. "Alright, I'll be back in a minute."

Pogue's ears listened to his footsteps as they quietly faded away. The sounds were the last thing his mind focused on before he allowed the building darkness to take him under where no pain waited, only silence.

He wanted nothing more then to remain in it forever.


End file.
